Mazda is well-known for making cars that are affordable, reliable and a pleasure to drive. But only a few people know about the partnership between the Japanese car manufacturer and the German sweets confectionary company Haribo – globally known for their gummy bears – resulting in the development of the Mazda 121 “Goldy” limited edition in the early 90s.
Developed in cooperation with Haribo, the Mazda 121 “Goldy” limited edition was designed based on the famous Haribo Gold Bears, with only 1,000 models exclusively available for the German, Austrian and Swiss markets.
Created by Hofele Design – a company known for tuning luxury German cars – the “Goldy” featured golden yellow exterior paint and included special equipment such as a Momo steering wheel featuring a Gold Haribo Bear on the hub, rear window shade with a colourful gummy bear design and a set of Haribo bear wheel covers. In addition, each “Goldy” came with a whopping 100 bags of Haribo Gold Bears sweet packets and a large plush toy bear.
Based on the Mazda 121 introduced in 1991 (also known as the Autozam Revue in Japan), the small and quirky Mazda 121 was deceptively large on the inside despite its 3,800mm exterior. Available with an optional canvas sunroof that could retract in either or both directions, or hardtop variant, the vehicle’s compact and well-rounded design earned its most prevalent “bubble car” moniker.
The “Goldy” and its standard trim siblings are equipped with a 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, generating 53 kW/72 PS, achieving a top speed of 155 km/h, and accelerating from 0 to 100 km/h in 11.4 seconds.
As part of its original launch, the Mazda 121 “Goldy” was featured as a prize in a lottery organised by Haribo, held under the theme “Win gold with Haribo: Mazda 121. The Haribo Gold Bear goes for the Mazda 121”. In 2022, a German couple from North Rhine-Westphalia donated the special lottery “Goldy” car to the Mazda Classic Automobile Museum Frey in Augsburg, Germany, so this sweet collaboration between Mazda and Haribo will be remembered for years to come.
