‘Ka-chow!’ Lightning McQueen replica makes a pit stop at P.E.I. daycare

Maria Sarrouh has the story of an Ontario man's tour of the Maritimes, delighting children with his replica of Disney's Lightning McQueen.

The squeals and smiles from children at Le Jardin des Étoiles daycare in Summerside, P.E.I. said it all.

They had been waiting for a visit from one very familiar face: Lightning McQueen. An Ontario man has been touring the country in a replica of the star character from Disney’s Cars franchise. The excitement was revving long before the car pulled up.

“I think it means a lot to them,” said Bethany MacDonald, who brought her two children. “We watch a lot of Lightning McQueen, and they’ve been looking forward to this since I told them it was going to happen.”

Some kids were clearly fans of the red race car.

“It’s a nice car. I like it so much,” said Jad, who doesn’t attend the daycare but came along with friends.

Mia Bernard, a special needs assistant at the centre, said the child she works with one-on-one had been counting down the days.

“He’s a big fan of McQueen, actually. He has, like, a bunch of little toys,” she said.

Other children had different favourites.

“I like the green car because he thinks he wins the last race, but he didn’t,” said six-year-old Brooks DesRoches.

Gary Papaya says he’s just as obsessed with the movies. That’s why he converted his Ford Mustang into a close copy of Lightning McQueen in 2015. Now, he takes it on tour across the country.

It’s completely free for families, but Papaya says he does it just to see the joy.

“I’m so happy doing it, even if it costs me a few bucks of my hard-earned money, I’m still doing it,” he said.

And the children are grateful for the pit stops.

“There’s kids with Lightning McQueen PJs and clothes, so they were quite excited,” said Katera Arsenault, director of Le Jardin des Étoiles.

The last leg of Papaya’s tour ends in Prince Edward Island, but he says he has no plans to park the fun anytime soon.