# Those big inflated balls w/ the handle that kids in the 70's bounced on - Name? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 27, 2001, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413 "2001-08-27T21:47:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/21 "2001-08-28T07:59:45Z")
> [@](#): > > D’ya think you could get an adult-sized one these days? 'Cause I know I’d buy one. Just the thing after a day’s work Actually, I believe they do make them for adults; I recall seeing one in an adult store with a dildo attachment. [sub]Yeah, I know, probably not what you had in mind.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/22 "2001-08-28T08:17:32Z")
hey **pkbites** , didn’t know we could do empty posts in here… i’m gonna wait till someone asks a serious question one of these days 'n then we’ll have some fun 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/23 "2001-08-28T10:18:46Z")
Yeah, well my parents never bought me one. There, I said it. Satisfied? Doesn’t matter though… LOOK! It’s not an issue, so just drop it, OK? :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Booker57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Booker57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Booker57)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/24 "2001-08-28T10:30:48Z")
Didn’t Pheobe on “Friends” use one recently? She commented to the other girls that is was great for releving tension. “If you know what I mean”. ---
**Author:** ![Akke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Akke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Akke)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/25 "2001-08-28T11:00:23Z")
In the Netherlands the name is ‘Skippy Bal’ ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/26 "2001-08-28T12:27:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*Oops.😃 That last post was suppose to have a wbsite on it: > > [http://www.robinsweb.com/interesting/I\_S\_O.html](http://www.robinsweb.com/interesting/I_S_O.html) > > This site clearly shows a **Hopity Hop** with the name **Hopity Hop** on it. Where are you guys getting the name “hippity hop”? \*\* Well c’mon, we were little kids, and “hippity hop” has more of a ring to it than “hoppity hop”! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/27 "2001-08-28T12:49:11Z")
I used to have a riding toy when I was a kid. It was a circular yellow chassis in which the rider sat, with a large red wheel with a white spiral on it on each side of the rider. There was a small castering wheel in the back. The large red wheels had crank handles on them. The rider used the handles to turn the wheels and to control the direction by differential cranking. His feet were in front of him in a footrest. Does anyone remember what that toy was called? I think, but I am not at all sure, that it was by Mattel. ---
**Author:** ![johnboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@johnboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnboy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/28 "2001-08-28T13:05:37Z")
Johnny L. A., I believe that toy was called a Krazy Kar. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/29 "2001-08-28T13:36:07Z")
Thank, **johnboy**! It is indeed the [Krazy Kar](http://www.marxtoys.com/marxtoys/p25.htm) by Marx Toys. Too bad I’m too big for it (it’s only rated for 70 pounds (32 kilos). Someone should come out with a larger version. ---
**Author:** ![johnboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e47c2d/32.png) [@johnboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnboy)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/30 "2001-08-28T13:42:49Z")
Now L. A., you KNOW those are just conservative ratings (like automotive horsepower ratings in the early seventies), give it a shot! ---
**Author:** ![Celyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9dc877/32.png) [@Celyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Celyn)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/31 "2001-08-28T14:15:44Z")
And they were called “Spacehoppers” in the U.K., I seem to recall. ---
**Author:** ![dqa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dqa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dqa)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/32 "2001-08-28T14:16:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by pkbites \* > \*\*Where are you guys getting the name “hippity hop”? \*\* Obviously it comes from the song: Here comes Peter Cottontail Hopping down the bunny trail Hippity Hoppity Easter’s on it’s way Why they chose the lamer “Hoppity Hop” I have no idea, unless there were some copyright/trademark issues. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/33 "2001-08-28T14:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*I used to have a riding toy when I was a kid.[/ b I had a Krazy Kar as a kid too! I loved that thing! I never had a big wheel though:( I think by the time big wheels came out., I was too big for them. ---
**Author:** ![Running\_with\_Scissors](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Running\_with\_Scissors](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Running_with_Scissors)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/34 "2001-08-28T15:06:12Z")
Hedstrom calls them [ball hoppers](http://www.hedscape.com/servlet/ToyFinder?action=displayproduct&productnumber=4). A descriptive, if boring, name. ---
**Author:** ![davesink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cc9497/32.png) [@davesink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davesink)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2001, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/35 "2001-08-28T16:00:25Z")
I’m 42, and I remember seeing one in a magazine article before they really caught on and successfully pleaded with my parents to get one. I distinctly remember it having a U-shaped handle connected by a separately molded plastic straight “grip” as opposed to the later Mattel models descibed above with the O style grips. I also remember it being called a “Kangaroo Ball” but don’t recall the manufacturer. I think it was a smaller “no-name” company. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/36 "2001-08-29T03:53:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Cabbage \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > D’ya think you could get an adult-sized one these days? 'Cause I know I’d buy one. Just the thing after a day’s work > > Actually, I believe they do make them for adults; I recall seeing one in an adult store with a dildo attachment. > > [sub]Yeah, I know, probably not what you had in mind.[/sub] \*\* Au contraire, Msr. Cabb-age. Gotta link? My hippety could use a bit more hoppity… ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/37 "2001-08-29T09:41:54Z")
Well, I looked around a little, and this is the best I could find (adult link ahead): [http://www.velvetstoys.com/sex\_toys.htm](http://www.velvetstoys.com/sex_toys.htm) (look for the easy rider ball on the page). I’m not sure if they come any bigger than that; 12 inches seems kind of small (certainly not full size) if you really want to ride it like you rode it when you were a kid (hey, I’m talkin’ about the ball, not the dildo!). ---
**Author:** ![\_Twitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/_/3d9bf3/32.png) [@\_Twitch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/_Twitch)\ **Post date:** [August 29, 2001, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/38 "2001-08-29T12:07:17Z")
check out [http://www.firebox.com//product.php?id=450](http://www.firebox.com//product.php?id=450) for a racing 3pack of them! ---
**Author:** ![GENE\_STONER](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/2bfe46/32.png) [@GENE\_STONER](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GENE_STONER)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/39 "2001-08-30T02:42:16Z")
Yeah, I remember those hippety hops. But does anyone remember those toys that had 2 big plastic wheels with hand cranks, and you would sit in the middle of this round plastic seated area, and turn these hand cranks and propel the toy forward, backword, or pivoting? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [August 30, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413/40 "2001-08-30T04:48:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by GENE STONER \* > \*\*Yeah, I remember those hippety hops. > But does anyone remember those toys that had 2 big plastic wheels with hand cranks, and you would sit in the middle of this round plastic seated area, and turn these hand cranks and propel the toy forward, backword, or pivoting? \*\* Uh… **STONER** ,:rolleyes: those were brought up already by Johnny L.A., it’s called **Krazy Kar**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-big-inflated-balls-w-the-handle-that-kids-in-the-70s-bounced-on-name/78413.md?page=3)