In 1972, when I joined Wembley, the Space Hopper was already in our range. One of our team had seen a child in Italy playing on this bouncy thing, so took the idea, changed the handle into horns and created a creature that was meant to look like a space animal. The Hop! 66 is still primarily child-sized. Demand for truly adult-proportioned hopping balls was met with two notable items: The first was Kitt 2000 Velp, of the Netherlands Mega Skippyballs, a large hopping ball that, by virtue of its size, was intended only for adult use. It came in three sizes: 120 centimetres (47in), 100 centimetres (39in), and 80 centimetres (31in). Quirky, magical and wise. A wistful reflection on the love between a mother and daughter' Woman / Woman’s Weekly

In the United States, the first mass-marketed hopping ball (a version of an earlier European toy [ citation needed]) 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"). A magical combination of tenderness and grief starring an unforgettable protagonist . . . Fisher writes gorgeous, lyrical prose, and every scene is infused with magic and heart . . . riveting, surprising and deeply touching’ 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.Some slopes were too steep for bouncing and I had to deflate my hopper and climb. Occasionally, the terrain was littered with sharp stones; I lost my first hopper to a puncture on day five. Fortunately, I had three spares.

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.The Mega Skippyballs are made of extra-strong vinyl, and in the Netherlands, there are various Skippyball races and championships. In the United States, the first mass-marketed hopping ball was a version of an earlier European toy—the Hoppity Hop, released by the Sun company after it introduced the ball in 1968 at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

Space hoppers were introduced to the UK in 1969 — the Cambridge Evening Newsnewspaper, England, contained an advertisement for the hopper in November of that year [1]and described it as a "trend". 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 late 1960s/early 1970s. The space hopper also lent its name and face to the Birmingham Psychedelic trance parties that ran from the mid-nineties to 2000, and also appeared at the Glastonbury festival. This is a magical, moving story about past and present, grief and healing, choices and yearning. A heart-warming, touching novel’ Platinum

It’s hard to believe that this is a debut, it’s so confidently written. This is a story that will sing to all’ Woman’s Way After it launched at the Nuremberg Toy Fair, it became more successful than I ever imagined. Over the years, we replaced the rigid plastic handle with a soft one that's the same material as the ball – and renamed it the Hop. We never licensed the design, so different kinds cropped up all over the world. In 1968 Ledragomma, my company, patented just the handle, so other companies could make their own versions with different handles and their own names, to get round the patent. We weren't worried: the market was big enough for all of us. A British company called Wembley made some changes to the design and called it the Space Hopper. The Americans called theirs the Hoppity Hop. Roger Brown, Wembley marketing director A space hopper, also known as a moon hopper, skippyball, kangaroo ball, bouncer, hoppity hop, or hop ball, is a rubberball (similar to an exercise ball) with handles which allow one to sit on it without falling off. The goal is to hop around with it, using the elasticproperties of the ball to move forward.

According to advertising materials, the Hoppity Hop's original targets were both adults and children. Since the balls only inflated to around 20 inches (51cm), however, it is doubtful that any but the shortest adults could have gotten much use out of one. At its peak, when it was a national craze, we must have been selling 200,000 a year. Later, we did a Womble hopper and a four-legged animal hopper for preschool children, who held on to its ears. But none of them were anything like as successful. The original space hopper in the United Kingdom 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. [2] 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. Space hoppers were introduced to the United Kingdom in 1969. The Cambridge Evening News contained an advertisement for the hopper in November of that year [1] and described it as a trend. The space hopper became a major craze for several years and remained widely popular through the 1980s. The toy is sometimes considered a symbol of the 1970s.

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This story will bounce joyfully through your heart, leaving you with a fresh belief in second chances’ The space hopper is a heavy rubber ball about 60–70 centimetres (24–28in) in diameter, with two rubber handles protruding from the top. A valve at the top allows the ball to be inflated by a bicycle pump or car tire pump. Filled with nostalgic references, this heartfelt book is a lesson on living in the here and now’ My Weekly A lovely, deeply moving story of loss and love and memory made real. The sort of book that makes you feel the tenderness of joy restored, and the tearing pain of a choice between the two halves of your heart’