It's easy to see why skateboards, rollerboots and BMX's were so popular among kids in the 70s, but Space Hoppers? For one, it seems a little odd to be bouncing up and down on a big orange rubber ball at the best of times, and considering it didn't help - but rather hinder - getting from A to B, it could be labelled a bit pointless, really... They didn't enable you to jump higher, go faster or run further than you could on foot. But you had to have one.
The space hopper (Hippity Hop in America) was invented by Italian, Aquilino Cosani in 1968, though he referred to it then as the Pon-Pon, and it was launched in Britain just as trance/rave culture was picking up speed in the summer of '71. This may help provide some explanation behind the trend, and space hoppers went on to make appearances at Glastonbury and Birmingham psychedelic trance parties well into the 90s.
Despite being marketed as 'the amazing inflatable riding ball', its design was pretty simple. The earliest space hoppers were made of red or blue rubber, inflated via an internal valve system, reaching up to around 20 inches. These days though, adult versions are available too, enabling the children of the 70s to relive their bouncing glory days - this time with fewer grazes on their knees.
Each hopper featured two handles on the top so you could keep your balance - but still many kids ended up flying right over these very handles after things got out of control! It really wasn't the safest toy around - its saving grace was its apparent inability to burst, although we had a good try at it. But it was great fun, especially when your mates lines up on theirs and you raced each other to the end of the playing field.
The majority of space hoppers had a smiley, kangaroo's face painted on the front, but kids were also treated to themed hoppers in the late 70s, which featured plastic moulds of Disney characters, including Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, on the front. Despite such efforts, though, the US Hoppity hop went out of production and the Space Hopper's popularity is sporadic. So, let's hope the people of Folkestone might spark a revival after they broke the world record for the most people hopping simultaneously, taking it to 1000 people on 4th July 2006.
Other space hopper world records of note include the fastest time for 100m on a space hopper, which was set by Ashrita Furman in 2004 when she did it in just 30.2 seconds. And Ashrita also set the fastest mile on a space hopper in January 2005. Fancy setting your own record?
Do You Remember Space Hoppers?
Do You Remember Space Hoppers?
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Anonymous
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I remember being in a Space hopper race at a Bultins holiday camp, when I was 5 or 6,I was winning,turnred to look round to see by how much and another kid over took me,leaving me with second place and no prize!
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Anonymous
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Ahh, the beloved space hoppers. My brother and i had them and, yes we did indeed race them...until the fatal night hopper met open fire place during a ten lap rumpus room derby...The last thing i remember was a bang..no, it was more like a huge "WOOF" and the entire contents of said fireplace being evenly spread all over the room...starting numerous small fires..not to mention scaring the life out of the pets and getting us and the remaining hopper banished to the yard....Poor old hopper.....
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Anonymous
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I received one exactly as seen in the picture for Christmas one year. I can remember bouncing up and down the footpath for ages and ending up with sore stomach muscles. It was probably one of the most used toys I've ever had. It was marketted as a "Space Hopper" in Australia, and a number of inferior copies came out afterwards in various colours. None were as good as my "Space Hopper" which stood up to some fierce punishment.
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Anonymous
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My much younger sister Rebecca (now a respectable lady of 40) had an orange space hopper which I enjoyed using even though I was in my teens. However Rebecca was fond of using this in the house and when we were in the living room watching TV etc. so bumping into us and being generally annoying as little sisters often do. She was banned from using it in the house but of course ignored this. My mother got so mad with her disobedience one day that she stuck a bread knife into it. Despite my Father's attempts at repairing it, that was the end of the Space Hopper.
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Anonymous
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Wow Spacehoppers!! Me and my bro had a yellow one, it's still in the garage at my nan's (even though we are 26 & 24 now!) It had a funny face on the front too! GREAT NEWS... they now sell an adult version in Argos.... guess what my brother's Crimbo present is goint to be??!!**
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Anonymous
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What was the face on the front? I assumed it was a lion, but then they don't really tend to have those in space. Not sure about the whole "space" reference - you'd have thought that interstellar beings would have perfected a slightly better method of transport than shuffing along on a rubber ball falling off every 2 minutes wouldn't you. Mind you, Clive Sinclair's C5 wasn't much better.
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Anonymous
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I had a Rupert spacehopper which was ace! But one day I absent-mindedly left it in front of the gas fire and it sort of melted. Got another one with horns to replace it!!
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Anonymous
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we had just moved into a new house and there were lots of odd bricks and wood lying around so my big brother built a sort of obstacle course which we 'showjumped' over on our big orange spacehopper and we scaored each other on the different jumps. we also had a long hallway in the house where we set up on rainy days.it kept us happy for hours -oh for the simple pleasures of the 70s.I'm 38 now but am very tempted to get another now that I know they still exist -shouldn't have changed that face on him tho'!
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Anonymous
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fear not, space hopper lovers, I bought one for my big bro (27 years old) last christmas from Hawkins Bizarre in Guildford! Exactly the same as the originals, and just as much fun... even at our age! Christmas day was awesome!
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Anonymous
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I had one just like that, orange, ugly face and all!! Didn't know they came in different colours. I remember that the face freaked me out but i still played with it cuz it was still fun to do. No problems bouncing, but eventually it popped after long usage.....
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