since adam was born, i’ve posted a few pictures of my emmaljunga pram on instagram. a lot of people have expressed some interest in it, so i thought i’d share a bit more about it. it’s vintage, so i always kind of awkwardly ramble on whenever people ask me where i got it. “oh, it’s vintage. it’s by this swedish company called emmaljunga. actually, i don’t know how to pronounce it. um… they’re kind of hard to find in the states. i found it on craigslist…? eh?”
then cue the eye rolls because i know that everything that just came out of my mouth totally sounded like something a very pretentious cartoon character would say. ok, i’m dramatizing. i usually have very nice, friendly conversations about it, even if some people think i look a little silly with it. i just always knew that i wanted one of these slick, european strollers. even before i knew i wanted to have kids, it wasn’t hard to conjure up some romantic fantasy of myself being that mother, the one who always seems to look so effortlessly pulled together while strolling down the sidewalk with her fashionable baby or whatever.
so when it came time to actually start looking for baby stuff, i knew that i would have some challenges resolving the idea i had in my head of all the cool stuff i wanted, and the reality of having a budget and not being able to just buy whatever fancy toys they sell in fantasyland. i would browse the aisles in the big box stores kinda cringing at the baby stuff in all of it’s bright plastic glory. yeah, i know it’s about the kid, but let’s be real: babies would be perfectly happy playing with trash all day if you let them. buying stuff for them is just as much about your own preferences as it is about the practicality of it. and yeah, i admit that i’m picky.
enter the emmaljunga. it’s a swedish brand that’s been family owned and operated since 1925, having the distinction of being the oldest pram manufacturer in europe. i looked into buying a new one, but i was disappointed to see that the modern styles had been updated and were a little too “sport utility” for me. that coupled with their rarity in the u.s. market and an astronomical price tag, and i knew it was going to be a hunt.
but who can resist the thrill of the hunt? i started scouring ebay, craigslist, and etsy several months before i was due. they don’t pop up often, and when they do, they’re usually not in the world’s best condition. the fabric might be faded or ripped in some tiny spot, or else there would be a pram with no seat attachment, blah blah. i even found the perfect one, only to have the seller, suddenly struck with nostalgia, pull out of our craigslist deal at the last second.
but after months of determined searching, i found her. i don’t know the year, but it’s a viking model if you’re interested in sleuthing around. she’s a beautiful navy blue buggy perched atop a shiny chrome chassis (with suspension for a smooth ride). when adam was a teensy little guy, i would gently lay him in the bassinet while he was napping and cautiously stroll him around the neighborhood. then once he was old enough to sit up, i detached the bassinet and replaced it with the equally pretty, upright and adjustable seat. i bought it from a woman who had pushed around two of her now-adult children in it, and kept it in pristine condition because it was a top-of-the-line purchase at the time. and now i, too, get to push him around in it feeling every bit the glamorous mother that i always wanted to be. at least until he starts to cry…
27 comments
“babies would be perfectly happy playing with trash all day if you let them.” – LOL & so true!
Found these posts….haven’t thought about babies for 17 years when my last child finally left the Emmaljunga. My husband has been pestering me to finally “get rid of it” so I thought I’d google to see where I could donate it. Never realized that they are no longer sold in the US. Mine has been lovingly stored- what do I do?!! It truly is the most beautiful stroller. I have a traditional English Pram too. At 51 I am sad to see them go, but doubt a baby is in my future!!!
it’s gorgeous!
So pretty!! I too spent hours and hours trolling Craigslist for one while I was pregnant and almost ended up forking over $$$ for one on eBay…I never pulled the trigger and regretted it. Then a fellow shop owner in my building offered to let me borrow hers, so sweet! They are lovely and feel so fancy. I totally understand the modern stroller woe. They just don’t make them like they used to!
oh man, such an awesome neighbor! i don’t know if i would be so generous as to let someone borrow mine haha!
I know, me neither. I am already dreading giving back a few toys lent to me because I have so many memories of Greta playing with them. These babies grow too quickly!!
I got incredibly lucky when I responded to a Craigslist ad for the very same Emmaljunga. The family was moving the very next day and just wanted to get rid of things, so they offered it to me for free if I’d be willing to pick it up that moment. The pram is so gorgeous that I still can’t bear to part with it, even though the babies are now in elementary school.
that is so awesome! and i know what you mean about being attached. i know it’s just a thing, but i can’t help but find myself getting so attached to it. even the woman who sold it to me asked if i would send her a picture of adam in it, just because she had so many fond memories with it and wanted to see that it went to a good home, haha!
Love those strollers! Looking awesome on the walk with bub!
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Emmaljunga is pronounced emma-yunga. Adam is so adorable!
oh, thank you for that! haha, i even had to ask my swedish friends how to pronounce my last name, hagstrom. i still don’t think i say it quite right, but no one knows the wiser! ;)
emalj=enamel. unga=kid/child. BUT after searching for it i see it´s most likely a place in sweden too.
“Emmaljunga is a locality situated in Hässleholm Municipality, SkÃ¥ne County, Sweden with 262 inhabitants in 2010. It lies on Highway 117 which connects it directly with Hässleholm in the south. The town was founded in 1925”
My mom borrowed a similar tram nearly 30 years ago when my sister was a baby, it was a green velvet one! It sounds amazing, but it wasn´t so great as in the weather in Norway is as it is… when it got wet it took ages to dry.
aha! it must be a little play on words. and i can definitely see why you would want some special fabrics in norway. we’re lucky here because the weather is always so mild, we never have to worry about anything getting wet!
You two look so great! I love your dress too!
XO
Jeanne
http://fashionmusingsdiary.blogspot.fr
Oh my gosh! That is the cutest buggy ! And I didn’t know they came with interchangeable seats. My only concern for when I buy one one day, is taking it on buses and so on. Which means I’ll probably end up with one of those sporty ones. Are these hard to fold down?
oh you are right about that! this one does fold down very easily, but i personally don’t enjoy traveling with it. if adam has to go in a car or bus, i usually either wear him in a baby carrier, or i have a backup umbrella stroller which is much more petite! the emmaljunga is definitely best if you live in suburbia and you just stroll around town!
Very cute! Tell me more about this dress! Is it vintage as well?
the dress is new, it’s by corey lynn calter: http://www.thisiscorey.com/shop/catalog/corey/dresses/+morgana-waist-tie-dress/
i’ll add it into the post, too!
Nice to see that Swedish products are popular other places than back home! The name Emmaljunga comes from the place where the strollers are made. The “L” in “ljunga” is silent, and that word probably comes from the word “ljung” meaning heather, since that is a common bush there….
I am DYING because in the third picture from the top, your feet look like Adam’s feet! haha! I was actually like,”What on earth? Is the baby wearing clogs??? OH WAIT”
Also of course, I had to search my local Craigslist to see if there were any of these listed”¦ One for $50 and one for $150. I’m thinking about taking the plunge!
So I recently discovered that my grandma had held on to the pram she pushed my mom around in. Its in pristine condition in her attic and she said I could have it when I needed it. AHHH. Also, your story about sounding like a “pretentious cartoon character” is hilarious because it happens to me all the time. You just keep being you! xo
The pram is from 1995.
Best regards, Anette, http://www.gotlandsbarnvagnsmusuem.se
Wrong wwwaddress! http://Www.gotlandsbarnvagnsmuseum.se
aha, exactly 20 years old! oh wow, that makes me feel old…
I have this same pram but no instructions on how to set up the seat. Any advice of how you figured it out?
is the seat collapsed somehow? when i got mine, the seat was assembled in just in one piece, and i simply placed it into the notches on the base.
So I”™m just inheriting this exact stroller… since you have already used it, how have you kept it clean (nothing detaches to clean cloth… and how have you managed fitting it in your vehicle? It is a bit heavy and chunky? I have loved the options for stroller and bassinet so I want to make it work, just trying to get used to this older style! Would love your insight?