Space hopper

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"The Space Hopper" is also a space vehicle in the British television series Dangermouse.

"Space Hopper" is also a main character in the novel, Flatterland.

A space hopper

Popular UK design of Space Hopper

A space hopper, also known as a skippyball, kangaroo ball, bouncer, hop ball, or a hoppity hop, is a rubber ball with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off. The goal is to hop around with it, using the elastic properties of the ball to move forward. This can be carried even further by employing several balls and organizing a race.

1 Use
2 History
3 Popular culture
4 See Also
5 External links

[edit] Use

The Spacehopper was a heavy rubber balloon about 60-70 cm in diameter, with two rubber handles protruding from the top. A valve at the top allowed the balloon to be inflated by a bicycle pump or car-tyre pump.

A child would sit on top, holding the two handles, and bounce up and down until the balloon left the ground. By leaning, the driver could make the balloon bounce in a particular direction. In practical terms, this was probably the least efficient form of locomotion ever invented, even more inefficient than the pogo stick, but its simplicity, ease of use, low cost and cheerful appearance appealed to children.

[edit] History

The Spacehopper was said to have been invented by Aquilino Cosani of Ledragomma, an Italian company that manufactured toy rubber balls. He patented the idea in Italy in 1968, and in the United States in 1971. Cosani called the toy PON-PON. Space hoppers are generally quite safe to use and are very difficult to burst unless they have been deliberately over-inflated.

Space Hoppers bounced into the UK during the Summer of 1971. Although in practical terms they served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever - in that they didn’t allow the user to go faster, bounce higher, or run further than they could on foot - nevertheless they became a major craze during the early 1970s.

The original UK space hopper was manufactured by Mettoy (Mettoy-Corgi). Wembley also made a similar model but had smooth handles rather than the ribbed original. The orange kangaroo design is now available in Adult Sized versions in the UK.

In the U.S., the first mass-marketed hopping ball (a version of an earlier European toy*) was the Hoppity Hop, released by the Sun company around 1968. Because of the market and media saturation by this toy, any such ball - regardless of origin - is now generally known in the U.S. by that name (or sometimes 'hippity hop').

The earliest HH's were made of rubber (usually red or blue) with a round ring handle on top and automotive tire valve for inflation. In the 1970s Sun introduced various character versions of the HH, such as Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck (hard plastic versions of the character's head attached to the ball).

The HH sold rather steadily for decades, but by the 1990s sales apparently started to slip due to increased competition from foreign hoppers. At some point the HH came to be made of a vinyl-like material, some molded in fluorescent colors. The Hoppity Hop now appears to have been discontinued, but the original - sometimes still in the box - comes up from time to time on online auction sites.

It is interesting to note that the Hoppity Hop's original targets (according to advertising materials) were adults as well as kids. Since the balls only inflated to around 20", however, it's doubtful any but the shortest hop-minded adults could have gotten much use out of one.

Today, numerous (usually Chinese) versions can be found in most stores, ranging anywhere from 16"-24."

The European Hop! balls appeared in the early 1990s and are still available. Made by Italy's Ledragomma/Ledraplastic, these are essentially the quality Gymnic exercise ball with a handle attached. The sizes of these balls range from the Hop! 45 to the Hop! 66 (66 cm, about 26").

In the past forty years, grown-ups have increasingly sought to recapture elements of childhood and innovative manufacturers are there to answer that demand. It is now commonplace for old, sometimes largely forgotten toys to be reproduced, remarketed and even restructured for adult consumption. One couldn't ask for a clearer example of this phenomenon than what has happened with Hop-type balls.

While it is still is used for fun and exercise by many adults, the Hop! 66 is still borderline child-sized. So demand for truly adult-proportioned hopping balls was met with two notable items. The first of these was Kitt 2000 of Denmark's Megaskippy, a huge hopping ball which by virtue of their size was intended only for adult use. There were three sizes, the biggest measuring 120cm. The larger two of the three Megas were so big that real fun for average sized adults was precluded...they were simply much too big (and so too much work) to have fun riding. Also, these balls were somewhat difficult to acquire in the States, so specimens are relatively rare here. The only problem with the Megaskippy ball compared to any other space hopper on the market is the terrible smell of the material used which makes it quite unpleasant to use.

The newest (Jan 06) release of note in the U.S. is the Adult Space Hopper/Hoppity Hop, a 30+ inch ball also designed specifically for adult use (or, at the very least, for use by tall teenagers). This ball is the first in the U.S. to strike the balance between durability and ride-ability for the average sized adult.

[edit] Popular culture

The British animated sketch show Monkey Dust features the recurring character Ivan 'The Meat-Safe Murderer' Dobsky, an man imprisoned in 1974 for a crime he didn't commit ('I never done it, I only said I done it so they'd take me willy out of the electric socket/so they'd take the rat out of my anus/so I wouldn't have to eat any more of my own poo/etc.'), being finally released in every episode with no possessions other than a variety of 70s clothing and a space hopper called Mr. Hoppy. Mr. Hoppy is eventually revealed to be both sentient and responsible for the Meat-Safe Murders himself (as well as the murder of Dobsky's wife of several hours).