Why Shriners Drive Those Little Cars

If a fully grown man in a playful costume drives past in a tiny little car, you're probably going to stop and stare. We're not referring to your weird neighbor in a Smart Roadster — incidentally one of the greatest small cars of all time – but rather Shriners. More specifically the tiny cars they seem to pilot at almost every town parade you've ever attended. You shouldn't feel bad for looking. They actually want you to stop and stare – that's kind of the whole point.

See, Shriners (of Shriners International) operate within a fraternity that's dedicated to providing care for families and children in need. The first Shriners Children's Hospital was established back in 1922, and now there are 22 locations across three countries, available to families of children who need help, regardless of their ability to pay.

A bold and admirable act of philanthropy, but not one that's free to operate. Shriners Children's relies mostly on donations to survive effectively, and so fundraising is a hugely important part of being a Shriner. The guys within the fraternity figure, what better way to raise awareness and publicity for the cause, than to don a Fez and drive around in tiny cars?

It's a wonderfully unique way to stand out, and it no doubt brightens the day of many parade attendees. While the mission is admirable, this is Jalopnik, so allow us to momentarily distract ourselves from the mission and instead shine a curious spotlight onto these tiny cars.

Before the tiny cars came along, Shriners would try other methods to garner attention at parades, such as juggling in crazy costumes. It wasn't really until the 1950s that the car thing began to take off, with popular choices such as the J.C. Penney Micro Buggy coming from mail-order catalogs.

As the years progressed, so did tiny-car manufacturing practices. Creating car bodies out of blow-molded plastic became cheaper and easier, allowing Shriners a wider selection of designs. As a result, different car bodies began cropping up, with a variety of vintage hot rods, vans, and Jeep-esque designs joining the mix. In the past, a good number of classic and motorsport-inspired Shriner cars came from Go Kart Works, in Illinois, powered by 6.5-hp Honda and Tecumseh engines, whereas old-school karts took motivation from 3-hp Briggs & Stratton units. Today, they are made by a variety of custom shops such as Promo Karts USA.

Unfortunately, not just anyone can become a Shriner — you first have to become a Master Mason, which is the highest honor in Freemasonry. Not to worry though, you could always build your own go kart from flea market parts on the cheap and just donate to the cause instead. It might all seem a little silly, especially when seeing a gaggle of guys doing donuts and riding on two wheels as part of a town parade, but as one Shriner told Car and Driver back in 2008, "Everything we do is for the hospitals," neatly bringing the silliness back into perspective.