Toddler crushes backyard obstacle course built by dad

Kimberly Koge/YouTube

The earlier you can learn not to let hurdles stand in your way—literally and figuratively—the better.

Thanks to an obstacle course his dad built for him, one toddler is getting that lesson out of the way early. His dad set up an entire set of obstacles for him in their backyard in Bucyrus, Ohio, and watching him complete it is equal parts adorable and inspiring!

The toddler, 3-year-old Kelson Masayoshi Koge—or just “Yoshi,” for short—couldn’t have been more excited to complete these backyard obstacles, and lucky for us it was all caught on video. Yoshi’s mom, Kimberly Koge, first posted the video back in 2015, and it has since racked up more than 500,000 views on YouTube and more than 120 million views on Facebook.

“My toddler is obsessed with ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ so my husband made him a course today, and he killed it,” the proud mom wrote in the description of the original YouTube video.

Viewers couldn’t help but write comments about some of their favorite moments.

“OMG, is he the cutest little guy ever!!!!! How fun is this! He did kill it. My fave is when he shimmies under the low bar!!!!” one person wrote on YouTube. “Look at him pumping his widdle arms as he runs,” another said.

Overall, people thought this was pretty “epic”—especially for a little boy.

And Yoshi actually developed quite the fan base. As more people viewed the video, he even grabbed the attention of NBC’s pint-sized talent show “Little Big Shots,” which is hosted by Steve Harvey. Yoshi appeared on the show in 2016, and completed an even more intense course and even got a play-by-play of his run called by “American Ninja Warrior” host Akbar Gbaja-Biamila!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4PEKJ5HtqI

And to think, all of this was started by an impromptu backyard setup.

Yoshi’s dad, Ken Koge, told the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, “The more we watched the show ‘American Ninja Warrior,’ the more he would want to do it. So, we would put something down and he would jump over it or climb up the couch. I was cleaning the garage one day before dinner, and he was out there with me and asked me if we could make a course. So, we just put out a few pieces of wood here and there and just made something of a makeshift course, and he was all excited.”

The makings of a champion right there!

Since the video was originally posted in 2015, the family has blessed the online world with even more videos of Yoshi.

There’s a slow-motion video of Yoshi dunking:

And even Yoshi doing magic tricks:

Is this kid destined for greatness or what?

This isn’t the only time parents have gone above and beyond to deliver obstacle courses for their kids, either. In 2016, one Colorado dad built an impressive backyard course for his 5-year-old daughter. He even went so far as to have the dad provide commentary and set up an audience of stuffed animals to cheer little Lylah on!

Kids make parents do the darnedest things! What lengths have you gone to to see your kid’s dreams come true?

Entertainment, Family & Parenting

Related posts

Garbage truck driver adopts puppy he found abandoned in backpack along his route
Haunted car wash is perfect for socially distanced Halloween fun
This student gave a bullied classmate a new wardrobe—and then helped 100 foster kids, too
9 Wine-country getaways that are more affordable than Napa

About the Author
Augusta Statz
I have a B.F.A. in Writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. I’m an avid writer with a genuine sense of curiosity. I feel the best way to absorb the world around you is through fashion, art and food, so that’s what I spend most of my time writing about.

From our partners