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] Terry Cooper's humorous science fiction trilogy Kangazang features space hoppers (referred to as "Hoppas"), who are depicted as an alien race living on the planet Profania Alpha. [3] 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 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.

The European Hop! balls appeared in the early 1990s and are still available. Made by Italy's Ledragomma/Ledraplastic, these are essentially the quality Gymnic exercise ball with a handle attached. The sizes of these balls range from the Hop! 45 to the Hop! 66 (66cm, about 26").

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The space hopper is a heavy rubber balloonabout 60–70cm in diameter, with two rubber handles protruding from the top. A valveat the top allows the balloon to be inflated by a bicycle pumpor car-tyre pump. 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. 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’ Charming and powerful . . . captures the longing we all share to see once again those we have lost and to transcend time and space to answer the questions we wish we’d asked’ 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").

The space hopper was said to have been invented by Aquilino Cosani of Ledragomma, an Italian company that manufactured toy rubberballs. He patented the idea in Italy in 1968, and in the United States in 1971. Cosani called the toy PON-PON. 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). 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. I really enjoyed Space Hopper. It’s such an unusual, intriguing novel. It’s the first in ages that actually *interested* me’ Marian Keyes 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.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 Quirky, magical and wise. A wistful reflection on the love between a mother and daughter' Woman / Woman’s Weekly

It is interesting to note that the Hoppity Hop's original targets (according to advertising materials) were adults as well as kids. Since the balls only inflated to around 20", however, it's doubtful any but the shortest hop-minded adults could have gotten much use out of one. The Hoppity Hop sold steadily for decades, but by the 1990s, sales began to slip due to increased competition from foreign hoppers. 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. This is a magical, moving story about past and present, grief and healing, choices and yearning. A heart-warming, touching novel’

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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' Daily Mail 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’ The space hopper is the inspiration of two emotes in the 2017 online multiplayer game Fortnite Battle Royale, "Bouncer" and "Ollie Bounce". [4] [5] In the British crime drama Endeavour, episode "Apollo" (2019), a child is shown bouncing on a Space Hopper in a scene contemporaneous with the 1969 Apollo mission, consistent with the toy's 1968/1969 release in the UK.

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. Filled with nostalgic references, this heartfelt book is a lesson on living in the here and now’ My Weekly A touching exploration of mother/daughter relationships, it’s an enthralling story of venturing into the past . . . nostalgic, original and slightly crazy’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 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" or some other name. 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. Use