A Georgia handyman's answer to soaring gas prices is turning heads everywhere he goes - because it involves driving a child-sized Barbie camper. Mali Hightower, 30, says he built the bizarre homemade vehicle after getting fed up with paying nearly $90 to fill up his aging Mercedes-Benz convertible. So he pulled a discarded pink Power Wheels Barbie Dream Camper out of the trash, fitted it with a two-gallon engine from an old power washer, and turned it into a miniature gas-saving commuter car.
'One pull of the cord and I'm gone,' Hightower said as he described using the tiny vehicle for grocery runs around Ellenwood. The handyman even installed a roof rack for groceries - though driving the tiny pink camper reportedly requires him to squeeze in with his knees practically at his ears while wearing a dirt-bike helmet. 'That's too much,' Hightower said of the cost of fueling his 1996 Mercedes. 'I drive this when I can.'
His unusual solution comes as millions of Americans dramatically rethink how they travel as gas prices surge following turmoil in global oil markets. According to AAA, the national average price for regular gasoline climbed to $4.52 per gallon by May 18, up sharply from around $3 before conflict involving Iran disrupted energy markets. An April survey by Ipsos for The Washington Post and ABC News found 44 percent of Americans had already cut back on driving because of fuel costs.
Across the country, drivers are increasingly ditching road trips, avoiding freeway gas stations, taking public transport - and even turning summer camp into a fuel-saving strategy. At Camp Farley in Mashpee, executive director Renee Tocci said high gas prices inspired her to market overnight camp as a way for parents to avoid endless summer driving. 'Here's a budgeting tip no one talks about: Send your kids to overnight camp,' one of the camp's social media posts joked. Tocci said the idea came after spending nearly $40 more than usual filling up her Buick Enclave. 'My colleague was like, 'That is hysterical,' she said. 'And I was like, seriously, I'm going to put it all over social media.'
Elsewhere, younger Americans are increasingly embracing buses and trains instead of long car journeys. Dafne Flores, 28, said she now limits driving to short trips after gas prices in parts of Los Angeles approached $9 per gallon near some freeway stations. Flores, who regularly travels from Silverdale to Southern California, said filling her Toyota Highlander now costs at least $95. 'We're used to expensive gas prices, but never this expensive,' she said. During a recent stay in Los Angeles, Flores parked her SUV in Glendale and relied almost entirely on public transport instead. 'On the bus, I can edit videos and avoid parking costs,' she explained.
Transit systems are already seeing the impact. In Bangor, local officials say public bus ridership has jumped 21 percent since January as commuters abandon their cars. 'It was every walk of life,' said transit administrator Laurie Linscott. Some communities are now offering direct financial help to struggling drivers. In El Segundo, motorists recently queued for more than an hour at a gas station where tourism group Visit Las Vegas handed out up to $100 worth of free fuel to encourage travel. Many drivers admitted they simply needed help paying for basic transportation. 'I have to walk and take the train now,' said local resident Robert Jackson. 'It's tough. It really is.' Another driver, Segette Frank, said soaring prices had forced her to stop driving across Los Angeles for shopping trips. 'I stay close now because I don't want to run out of gas,' she said.
Meanwhile, churches and charities are stepping in to help families struggling with transportation costs. CityPoint Community Church in Chicago said it plans to distribute $5,000 worth of gas cards in the coming weeks. 'Transportation is not a luxury for many families,' Pastor Demetrius Davis said. 'It's survival.' The fuel crunch has also reignited debate around electric vehicles. Some EV owners say soaring gas prices have vindicated their decision to ditch gasoline altogether. John Stringer, president of Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley, recently posted a TikTok video joking about sky-high fuel prices while standing beside his Tesla Cybertruck. 'Oh man, wish that was a problem that I had to deal with,' he joked.
Still, for many Americans, switching to an EV is financially unrealistic - leaving them to improvise however they can. And for Hightower in Georgia, that currently means squeezing into a tiny pink Barbie camper just to avoid another painful trip to the gas pump.
