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.

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 The Hoppity Hop sold steadily for decades, but by the 1990s, sales began to slip due to increased competition from foreign hoppers. 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 European "Hop!" balls appeared in the beginning of the 1990s and are still available. Made by Italy's Ledragomma/Ledraplastic, these are essentially an exercise ball with a handle attached. The sizes of these balls range from the "Hop! 45" to the "Hop! 66" (66cm, about 26in). It’s hard to believe that this is a debut, it’s so confidently written. This is a story that will sing to all’

Paul Frank Lego block belt

They say those we love never truly leave us, and I’ve found that to be true. But not in the way you might expect. In fact, none of this is what you’d expect. 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 A touching exploration of mother/daughter relationships, it’s an enthralling story of venturing into the past . . . nostalgic, original and slightly crazy’ Quirky, magical and wise. A wistful reflection on the love between a mother and daughter' Woman / Woman’s Weekly 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.

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. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented novels . . . sounds odd but it works because of Fisher’s beautifully clear writing and the radiant sincerity of the heroine . . . Love, childhood, motherhood; whether you can or should fix the past, it’s all in this amazing book’ 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. 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. 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.

Mastermind board game

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 cheerful appearance appeal to children. Have you ever heard of a Hoppity Hop, Ride-a-Roo, Kangaroo Ball, or Space Hopper? Honestly, I never have but as soon as I saw the picture of the yoga ball with a handle, I knew exactly what they were. It was the type of fun toy – daring but not too daring — I would have loved as a kid (and it probably would have saved me the broken arm I got from roller skates at 10 years old too! Ha.) The British animated sketch show Monkey Dust features the recurring character Ivan 'The Meat-Safe Murderer" Dobsky, a man imprisoned in 1974 for a crime he didn't commit, being finally released in every episode with no possessions other than a variety of 1970s 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. 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 Mega Skippyballs are made of extra-strong vinyl, and in the Netherlands, there are various Skippyball races and championships.

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. 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 that allow one to sit on it without falling off. The user can attempt to hop around on the toy, using its elastic properties to move forward. A magical story of love, loss and the ways that grief changes us forever . . . This is a brave and powerful novel that asks big questions about time, memory and whether those we love ever truly leave us’ 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’

Filled with nostalgic references, this heartfelt book is a lesson on living in the here and now’ My Weekly 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 appeals to children. History 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.