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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:
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A child can sit on top, holding the two handles, and bounce up and down until the ball leaves the ground. By leaning, the driver can make the ball 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
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According to advertising materials, the
Hoppity Hop's original targets were both adults and children. Since the balls only inflated to around 20 inches (51 cm), however, it is doubtful that any but the shortest adults could have gotten much use out of one.
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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. The toy is sometimes considered a symbol of the 1970s.
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The term "space hopper" is more common in the United
Kingdom. The toy is less familiar in the United States and may be known as a "hoppity hop", "hippity hop", or a "sit and bounce". A similar toy, popular in the United States in the 1980s, was the
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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.
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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".
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Within the first three months, more than 300,000 units were sold across the country. Because of market and media saturation of this toy, any such ball, regardless of origin, is now generally known in the US by that name.
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377:). 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.
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The
European "Hop!" balls appeared in the beginning of the 1990s and are still available. Made by Italy's Ledragomma/Ledraplastic, these are essentially an
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The space hopper is a heavy rubber ball about 60–70 centimetres (24–28 in) in diameter, with two rubber handles protruding from the top. A
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The
Hoppity Hop sold steadily for decades, but by the 1990s, sales began to slip due to increased competition from foreign hoppers.
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The Mega
Skippyballs are made of extra-strong vinyl, and in the Netherlands, there are various Skippyball races and championships.
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for inflation. In the 1970s, Sun introduced various character versions of the
Hoppity Hop, such as the Hoppity Horse or Disney's
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with a handle attached. The sizes of these balls range from the "Hop! 45" to the "Hop! 66" (66 cm, about 26 in).
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features space hoppers (referred to as "Hoppas"), who are depicted as an alien race living on the planet Profania Alpha.
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The earliest Hoppity Hops were made of rubber (usually red or blue) with a round ring handle on top and an automotive
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The original space hopper in the United Kingdom was manufactured by Mettoy (
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473:"Where did space hopper come from?: History of Space Hopper – Hopper Ball"
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Space hoppers were introduced to the United Kingdom in 1969. The
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This article is about the toy. For the cartoon vehicle, see
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101:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
499:"Kangazang! Remote Possibilities by Terry Cooper"
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429:Terry Cooper's humorous science fiction trilogy
451:"1968 And 1969: The Space Hopper In Britain..."
331:at the top allows the ball to be inflated by a
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64:Learn how and when to remove these messages
1491:Bicycle- and human-powered vehicle museums
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537:"If you hadn't one, you were hopping mad"
241:Learn how and when to remove this message
223:Learn how and when to remove this message
161:Learn how and when to remove this message
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339:cheerful appearance appeal to children.
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186:This article includes a list of general
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353:the Children's Museum of Indianapolis
1522:Physical activity and dexterity toys
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99:adding citations to reliable sources
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23:. For the fictional character, see
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192:it lacks sufficient corresponding
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45:This article has multiple issues.
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53:or discuss these issues on the
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21:Danger Mouse (1981 TV series)
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1501:Zero-emissions vehicle
366:Cambridge Evening News
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539:– article on the toy
303:ball (similar to an
95:improve this article
1439:Alpine touring skis
1249:Hand and foot power
839:Cold-weather biking
779:Small-wheel bicycle
687:Glossary of cycling
652:Cyclo-cross bicycle
637:Cold-weather biking
1444:Cross-country skis
1108:Litter/sedan chair
672:Flat bar road bike
425:In popular culture
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707:Mountain biking
677:Folding bicycle
642:Cruiser bicycle
612:Bicycle trailer
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521:External links
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479:. 15 July 2019
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106:Find sources:
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84:This article
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51:
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1417:Snow and ice
1236:(fixed seat)
1139:Caster board
1072:Stairclimber
1032:Baggage cart
1011:Rowing cycle
922:Kick scooter
912:Balance bike
834:Wheelie bike
799:Trailer bike
759:Road bicycle
632:City bicycle
506:. Retrieved
502:
493:
481:. Retrieved
477:jumping.toys
476:
467:
455:. Retrieved
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394:Mickey Mouse
387:
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375:Mettoy-Corgi
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333:bicycle pump
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265:space hopper
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93:Please help
88:verification
85:
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47:Please help
44:
1527:Rubber toys
1496:Human power
1342:Ornithopter
1170:Street luge
1087:Wheelbarrow
917:Dandy horse
749:Quadracycle
722:Singletrack
590:Pedal power
398:Donald Duck
289:hoppity hop
285:hippity hop
269:moon hopper
205:introducing
25:Flatterland
16:Type of toy
1516:Categories
1429:Ice skates
1358:Foot power
1337:Helicopter
1302:Amphibious
1279:Hydrocycle
1272:Foot power
1212:Hand power
1165:Billy cart
1144:Snakeboard
1134:Pogo stick
1052:Hand truck
1037:Bath chair
1004:Row action
995:Wheelchair
968:Hand power
959:Skateboard
949:Freeskates
939:Brakeboard
829:Velomobile
824:Velocipede
729:Party bike
627:Cargo bike
622:Boneshaker
508:23 January
457:19 October
437:References
390:tire valve
355:collection
273:skippyball
188:references
121:newspapers
50:improve it
1456:Snowshoes
1284:Hydrofoil
1175:Snowboard
1082:Toy wagon
1077:Stretcher
980:Handcycle
954:Longboard
944:Freeboard
843:ice cycle
483:20 August
431:Kangazang
317:pogo ball
213:June 2010
151:June 2010
56:talk page
1424:Crampons
1325:Aircraft
1180:Toboggan
934:Kicksled
927:Kickbike
809:Unicycle
804:Tricycle
774:Sociable
764:Roadster
717:Downhill
617:BMX bike
297:hop ball
1485:outline
1481:Cycling
1401:Walking
1389:Running
1153:Gravity
1101:Carried
985:Hobcart
975:Handcar
868:Pedelec
819:Velocar
682:Go-kart
667:Fatbike
606:outline
602:Bicycle
532:History
343:History
309:elastic
299:) is a
281:bouncer
201:improve
135:scholar
1382:skates
1370:skates
1289:Pedalo
1262:Rowing
1256:Rowing
1234:Rowing
1129:Trikke
856:assist
662:Enduro
301:rubber
190:, but
137:
130:
123:
116:
108:
1224:Kayak
1219:Canoe
1204:Water
329:valve
295:, or
142:JSTOR
128:books
1330:list
1240:Punt
1092:Sled
1042:Cart
712:27.5
597:29er
582:Land
510:2023
485:2020
459:2012
396:and
114:news
1434:Ski
1318:Air
323:Use
97:by
1518::
501:.
475:.
291:,
287:,
283:,
279:,
275:,
271:,
263:A
59:.
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841:(
608:)
604:(
566:e
559:t
552:v
512:.
487:.
461:.
244:)
238:(
226:)
220:(
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211:(
197:.
164:)
158:(
153:)
149:(
139:·
132:·
125:·
118:·
91:.
66:)
62:(
27:.
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