New ministry revealed details about about the Orbán government’s overpriced toy motorbike scheme

Last November, the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM) under the outgoing Orbán government began distributing three-wheeled toy motorcycles to daycare centers, with the Fidesz representative (or candidate) for each constituency personally delivering the toys. At the time, our questions about the costs and other details of the initiative were dismissed. However, the newly inaugurated Tisza government’s ministry recently provided the specific figures: the previous government purchased the plastic toys at a threefold markup from the companies of Gyula Balásy, famed for producing the Fidesz government’s propaganda materials.

12,000 plastic toy motorcycles for approximately 185.3 million HUFs (520,000 EURs) – these are the exact figures in a public procurement by the Orbán government’s Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM), as reported by the new Ministry of Social and Family Affairs, KIM’s legal successor. In other words, the ministry paid roughly 15,000 HUF per motorcycle to the supplier, which was one of Gyula Balásy’s companies. This is a threefold markup, since such a toy motorcycle is available in stores for around 5,000 forints.

This story is another excellent example of how Fidesz used the state treasury for its own political goals, enriching business circles close to it. Gyula Balásy is one of the more well-known oligarchs that rose to prominence during the Orbán era: his companies received billions of HUFs in public funds for government communications tasks, most notably, producing the emblematic blue propaganda posters, demonizing the government’s enemy-of-the-day.

In early November 2025, Zsófia Koncz, State Secretary for Family Affairs at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM), announced that toy motorcycles would be provided to every rural daycare center. Koncz also posted a few photos of the plastic three-wheelers that the government is purchasing or has purchased for the daycare centers. Most parents with children aged 2 to 5 are probably familiar with these toys, which are widely available in stores. The only difference between the toys found in retail and the ones distributed by the government was that the government’s motorcycles had two stickers on each side: the “Family-Friendly Hungary” program logo on one side, and the drawing of a family over a red-white-green background on the other.

Toy motorbike available in an online store

Shortly after the announcement, a nationwide campaign of motorcycle deliveries began, supplementing Fidesz’s ongoing reelection campaign.

Fidesz politicians personally handed over the toys to daycare centers, documenting the events with photos and videos on Facebook.

On November 10, 2025, we submitted a data request to the Ministry of Innovation and Technology (KIM) asking exactly how much of the state budget was being spent on this and how many toy motorcycles were being delivered to which locations. They did not disclose the information, only stating that “the devices will reach nearly 55,000 children,” and that the contract is available in the Electronic Public Procurement System. We located the document, which was a 2.8 billion HUF (7.87 million EUR) framework agreement with Gyula Balásy’s companies, New Land Media Kft. and Lounge Design Kft.

Since the ministry did not respond to our request for information, we filed a complaint against it with the National Authority for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (NAIH). In the meantime, Fidesz lost an election and a new government was inaugurated. Then, in June, we unexpectedly received a response to the questions we submitted all the way back in November – which had been dismissed by the Ministry of Public Administration and Justice (KIM) – from the ministry’s legal successor, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Affairs (SZCSM) of the new Tisza government.

According to information received from the ministry,

KIM purchased a total of 12,000 toys from Gyula Balásy’s companies for a net total of 185.3 million HUFs, and spent an additional 3 million HUFs on labeling the vehicles.

This means that the Balásy companies were paid 15,441 HUFs in public funds per unit, three times of the market price of a toy motorcycle, which is available in most toy stores for around 5,000 HUFs.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Family Affairs also responded to our data request regarding where and how many toy motorcycles were distributed. According to the table, the largest number of toy vehicles went to Pest (Central Hungary, 1,611 units), Borsod (North-East Hungary, 664 units), and Szabolcs (North-East Hungary, 653 units) counties.

Fidesz politicians distributed the fewest toys in Nógrád (141), Tolna (164), and Zala (216) counties. As shown on the map below, many places received only 1 or 2 units, but larger towns received as many as 10 to 20, and in several major cities, daycare centers received more than 100 units. The top three recipients were Debrecen (334 units), Szeged (228 units), and Nyíregyháza (178 units).

The new ministry also sent us the full contract regarding the procurement and branding of small motorcycles. The document is a framework agreement worth 2.8 billion forints net with New Land Media Kft. and Lounge Design Kft., companies owned by Gyula Balásy.

The subject/title of the framework agreement is “Performance of complex communication and event organization tasks for the ‘Family-Friendly Hungary National Program Series and Communication Campaign 2025’ on behalf of the State Secretariat for Families.” This was exactly the same title as the framework agreement we found in November in the Electronic Public Procurement System (EKR), which was also worth 2.8 billion forints net. The only difference is that the latter pertained to the 2026 communication campaign for the “Family-Friendly” program series.