Space hopper

A space hopper (also known as a moon hopper, skippyball, kangaroo ball, bouncer, hippity hop, hoppity hop, sit and bounce, or hop ball) is a rubber ball (similar to an exercise ball) with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off. The user can hop around on the toy, using the elastic properties of the ball to move forward.

The term "space hopper" is more common in the UK; the toy is less familiar in the United States, and may be known as a "hoppity hop", "hippity hop" or a "sit n bounce". A similar toy popular in the U.S. in the 1980s was the pogo ball, which has a hard plastic ring encircling the ball instead of a handle.

The space hopper is a heavy rubber balloon about 60–70 centimetres (24–28 in) in diameter, with two rubber handles protruding from the top. A valve at the top allows the balloon to be inflated by a bicycle pump or car-tire pump.

A child can sit on top, holding the two handles, and bounce up and down until the balloon leaves the ground. By leaning, the driver can make the balloon bounce in a particular direction. In practical terms, this is a very inefficient form of locomotion, but its simplicity, ease of use, low cost and cheerful appearance appeal to children.

The space hopper was 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 were introduced to the UK in 1969. The Cambridge Evening News newspaper, England, contained an advertisement for the hopper in November of that year and described it as a "trend". The space hopper became a major craze for several years, and remained widely popular through the 1980s. They are sometimes considered a symbol of the 1970s.

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

In the United States, 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" as it was originally called in the U.S.).

...
Wikipedia