7 million euros for overpriced toy bikes: Fidesz politicians campaign in nurseries

The government is spending a massive fortune, supposedly on toy motorbikes for nurseries. The 2.8 billion HUF program appears to be heavily overpriced. Gyula Balásy, the Orbán government’s main propaganda producer is reaping the reward, as well as Fidesz politicians who use the program to deliver the toys personally, using the children as props for political promotion.

When we asked the ministry exactly how much public money they were spending, and how many toy motorcycles were being delivered to which institutions, they refused to disclose this information. They only stated that the “devices will reach nearly 55,000 children” and that the contract is available in the Electronic Public Procurement System. We found the contract: it is a 2.8 billion HUF (7.3 million EUR) framework agreement with companies linked to a pro-government oligarch, Gyula Balásy.

The agreement is titled: “Complex communication and event-organization tasks for the ‘Family-Friendly Hungary nationwide program and communication campaign 2026’ on behalf of the Secretariat for Families.” In other words, it was ordered by a government agency using taxpayers’ money

– yet Fidesz politicians are using the toy distribution to promote themselves, touring nurseries handing out toys for weeks.

Koncz wrote on her Facebook page on November 6 that the nationwide nursery-toy-motor program would deliver new vehicles to every rural nursery. She also posted photos of the three-wheeled plastic toys that the government purchased with public money.

Zsófia Koncz with the toy bikes (photo: Koncz/Facebook)

These are typical ride-on plastic toys for very young children. The government-issued version differs from toys sold in shops mainly in that each side features two stickers: one with the “Family-Friendly Hungary” logo, depicting a mother, father, and three children, and another with the same family drawing on a background in the colours of the Hungarian flag.

Zsófia Koncz – who has also served as the Fidesz MP for Borsod County’s 6th district since 2020 – first mentioned the government toy motorcycles at the start of October. During a “family-friendly roadshow” in Szerencs on October 3, she said that a “rural toy-motor parade” had begun and that by the end of the year, they would deliver toy motorcycles to every rural Hungarian nursery.

Since then, Fidesz politicians have continued distributing the toys in various nurseries around the country, often appearing in photos with children during the handover. Critics argue that the toys, purchased using public funds, are being used as campaign tools ahead of next year’s parliamentary elections.

At a recent event, Koncz said that “the toy motorcycle is an important element of the roadshow, which will be delivered to every rural nursery, because the toy motorcycle symbolizes the everyday life of young children.”

The ministry does not disclose the numbers

Although Fidesz politicians repeatedly emphasise that the government is providing these toys, none of them state how many toy motorcycles were bought.

In our freedom-of-information request, we asked the ministry to specify: which municipalities and institutions are receiving toy motorcycles, and in what quantity, the total number of toy motorcycles purchased, which company supplied them, how much was spent on the toy motorcycles, and how much the “family-friendly” stickers cost and who produced them.

The ministry responded well past the legal deadline, and even then, only said that “the relevant contract is available on the EKR website.” They did not provide any specific data.

Instead, their reply included general statements about the government’s commitment to supporting families, expanding nursery capacity, and the roadshow events in October and November. They also wrote:

“All municipal, church, and civil-run institutions and services receive toy motorcycles; in more than 2,500 institutions and nearly 5,000 groups, the devices will reach nearly 55,000 children.”

This almost certainly does not mean that 55,000 toy motorcycles were purchased – rather that the institutions collectively serve about 55,000 children.

The 2.8 billion HUF for toy bikes

Because the ministry failed to provide full disclosure, Átlátszó filed a complaint with the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information. The law requires the ministry not only to respond within the deadline but also to supply the exact URL of the procurement document, which they did not do.

We located the contract ourselves in the EKR system: it is a 2.8 billion HUF net framework agreement signed on November 18 between the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM) and two firms: New Land Media Ltd. and Lounge Design Ltd.

Toy bikes in Szerencs (photo: boon.hu)

Both companies belong to Gyula Balásy, who regularly receives large government communications contracts through the National Communications Office (NKOH). This contract is part of a broader 75-billion-forint NKOH tender.

The ministry committed to spending at least 70% of the 2.8-billion-forint framework before the end of the contract, which expires at the latest on January 15, 2027.

The technical documentation says the funds are intended for communication campaigns and events supporting “family values” and promoting government measures to youth, families, and seniors.

The contract never mentions “toy motorcycles”

Interestingly, the contract does not explicitly mention “toy motorcycles.” It only refers to “advertising gifts” and various event types.

However, the planned events – galas, dinners, festivals, conferences, exhibitions, press events, family days, and roadshows in 19 county-seat cities and other settlements – align perfectly with the ongoing toy-motor distribution events run by politicians.

A typical “Family-Friendly roadshow” consists of a talk given by Koncz or a local Fidesz MP about the government’s achievements, children’s entertainment activities, and, at the end, handing out toy motorcycles.

MP Sándor Font (Fidesz) on November 10, 2025 (photo: Font/Facebook)

The numbers do not add up

It is improbable that the toy motorcycles themselves could cost anywhere near the 2.8-billion-forint sum of the contract. Similar ride-on plastic toys cost around 5,000–8,000 forints each in supermarkets.

If we assume a cost of 5,000 forints per toy, and if every 55,000 children receive one, the total cost would be around 275 million forints. Even doubling that number would amount to only about 550 million forints.

Thus, it is clear that the vast majority of the 2.8 billion forints is not being spent on the toys themselves. It is likely funding the communication campaign, the roadshows, event organization, PR work, and the political promotion surrounding it.