big bouncy ball

English translation: space hopper

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:big bouncy ball
Selected answer:space hopper
Entered by: Louise Mawbey

11:17 Apr 13, 2005
English language (monolingual) [Non-PRO]
Sports / Fitness / Recreation / children's toy
English term or phrase: big bouncy ball
Can anyone put us out of our misery?? Yesterday our son was given one of those big bouncy balls that you sit on in the garden and bounce around on, holding two handles on the top of the ball. Does anyone kow what they are called in English? It's driving us mad! We both seem to remember that where we lived (England, East Midlands) they had a strange name but all I can find on the internet is "hopping ball" or "bouncing ball".
Louise Mawbey
Germany
Local time: 04:26
space hopper
Explanation:
:-)

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Note added at 2 mins (2005-04-13 11:20:11 GMT)
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I was born at the other end of the 1970s but this link should help :-) (and I loved the series).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1971/toys1.shtml
Space Hoppers - also known as Hoppity Hops, Hop Ball, and Kangaroo Balls - bounced into the UK during the Summer of ’71 and served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever.

They didn’t allow you to go faster, bounce higher, or run further than you could on foot. But you had to have one.

For much of the early 1970s children spent hours bouncing up and down busy roads until they either developed a headache, fell off and grazed their knees, or burst their Hopper - not an easy task unless it was cunningly over-inflated.

Selected response from:

Aisha Maniar
Grading comment
Thanks a lot - brings back memories!!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
5 +8space hopper
Aisha Maniar
4 +4space hoppers
Cilian O'Tuama


  

Answers


1 min   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +8
space hopper


Explanation:
:-)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 mins (2005-04-13 11:20:11 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I was born at the other end of the 1970s but this link should help :-) (and I loved the series).
http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/ilove/years/1971/toys1.shtml
Space Hoppers - also known as Hoppity Hops, Hop Ball, and Kangaroo Balls - bounced into the UK during the Summer of ’71 and served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever.

They didn’t allow you to go faster, bounce higher, or run further than you could on foot. But you had to have one.

For much of the early 1970s children spent hours bouncing up and down busy roads until they either developed a headache, fell off and grazed their knees, or burst their Hopper - not an easy task unless it was cunningly over-inflated.



Aisha Maniar
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Thanks a lot - brings back memories!!

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Mihailolja: Great fun!
2 mins
  -> cheers :-)

agree  awilliams: I had one of those...it had a really evil-looking face on! http://www.kidsera.com/images/0669.jpg ...it haunts me still...
2 mins
  -> I thought they were scary too but so much fun!

agree  Cilian O'Tuama: ooh, beaten to it ;-)
3 mins
  -> cheers :-)

agree  lafresita (X)
21 mins
  -> cheers :-)

agree  Ian Burley (X)
45 mins
  -> cheers :-)

agree  Java Cafe
1 hr
  -> cheers :-)

agree  Oso (X): ¶:^)
7 hrs

agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
19 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
space hoppers


Explanation:
Also known as Hoppity Hops, Hop Ball, and Kangaroo Balls - bounced into the UK during the Summer of 71 and served absolutely no useful purpose whatsoever.


check this link for pic!


    Reference: http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/pop/spacehoppers.htm
Cilian O'Tuama
Germany
Local time: 04:26
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 15

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  awilliams
1 min

agree  Aisha Maniar: :-)
8 mins

agree  lafresita (X)
19 mins

agree  Saleh Chowdhury, Ph.D.
19 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



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