Stokyo Record Runner: This Impossibly Tiny VW Bus Drives around Your Record and Plays It at the Same Time
And Now Also with Bluetooth. Obviously.
3,0 / 5,0 | 
Stokyo Record Runner: This Impossibly Tiny VW Bus Drives around Your Record and Plays It at the Same Time · Source: Stokyo
Some products you don’t need at all but want immediately. The Stokyo Record Runner BT is exactly that. A handmade miniature VW Bus from Japan that you place on a record, and it just drives along the grooves and plays the thing. If you’re thinking this is a novelty gag: it isn’t. This little guy actually has an Audio Technica cartridge, a pitch control, and now Bluetooth. Yes, for real.
Stokyo Record Runner BT: Everything about the World’s Smallest Turntable in VW Bus Design
The World’s Smallest Turntable Has Been Around Longer Than You Think
The concept goes back further than most people realize. In the 1980s, there was already something called the Sound Wagon, a self-propelling turntable that worked on the same principle. The Stokyo Record Runner is the fully reworked 2.0 version of that idea, this time as an officially licensed Volkswagen product. You set the little bus on the record, it finds the groove on its own, and it drives in circles until it reaches the end of the side. Then it stops automatically.
What looks at first glance like a toy car kit is actually handmade in Japan, fitted with a replaceable Audio Technica cartridge, and plays 33⅓ RPM vinyl. Motor, amp, and speaker are all built in. Dimensions: 14.5 x 6 x 8.8 cm. Weight: 163 grams. The record weighs more.
And Now Also with Bluetooth
The original Record Runner shipped with just a built-in speaker, which makes complete sense since running a cable to a moving miniature vehicle would be an interesting engineering challenge. The obvious next step was Bluetooth, and here we are. Cherry Red is available now, along with other colors.
The BT version sends the audio wirelessly to any Bluetooth speaker while the built-in speaker stays there as a backup for when you just want to drop it on a record and go. Pitch adjustment runs ±8%, an LED shows you what’s happening, and two AAA batteries get you around 90 minutes of playtime.
Who Is This Actually For?
As a serious alternative to a Technics for DJs? No. Stokyo themselves suggest you probably shouldn’t run your most valuable or rarest records through it, and that’s a note worth taking seriously. The groove contact is a bit more demanding than with a standard turntable.
For record collectors who want to quickly check if something plays before buying it at a flea market? Absolutely. For anyone who wants to watch a tiny VW Bus drive around their favorite record while sitting on the couch? No question. And as a gift for someone who loves vinyl and already has everything? Hard to beat.
Price and Availability
The Stokyo Record Runner BT in Cherry Red is €119.00 at Thomann*. The version without Bluetooth goes for €95.00, also at Thomann*.
More Information
*Note: This article contains affiliate links that help us keep Gearnews running. The price for you always stays the same! If you buy something through these links, we receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!
This might also interest you
One response to “Stokyo Record Runner: This Impossibly Tiny VW Bus Drives around Your Record and Plays It at the Same Time”
IMPORTANT: These will destroy your vinyles. I’m not joking. They were nicknamed “Vinyle Killers” back in the days. Use it on vinyles you do not care about.