This was perhaps my favourite present ever – in my mind! I wanted one as soon as I saw one! This futuristic flying saucer-like contracption, that you stood on to bounce around on.
Pogo Balls – or Lolo balls Springbal, Lolobal, Disc-O or Pogoba as they were known by many names! were great. Though, they were devilishly hard to work, I could only do about 5 bounces before careering off into the wall or an armchair (if I was cavalier enough to play with it inside), or if I was outside would always end up almost falling into the greenhouse!!
The ball / idea itself was a typical 1980’s idea, where crazyness meets technological leaps! It was patented in 1985, and it became a fad when Hasbro mass-produced it. It’s still available today – though Hasbro stopped producing it in the 1990’s. I love the idea of making a million having invented something as individual and kooky as the Pogo ball.
It was about 2 weeks before I was about to use one without almost mortally wounding someone in the vicinity. They looked like they should be a lot of fun, and were, but even for the 7 year old that I was (A fit 7 year old as well) it was exhausting after only a little time. The effort required to clamp your feet together and bounce, while holding onto the pogo ball was substantial.
I used to try and bring the pogo ball with me down the shops, and would always only get so far before I game up and tried wearing it like a hat! Or found some way to string it to my back, or stashed it in a bush to pick up on the way home.
I did get very good at it though and my favourite thing to do was to hop down stairs (okay, wide stairs!), or skip at the same time as using them.
Do You Remember Lolo Ball / Pogo Ball?
Do You Remember Lolo Ball / Pogo Ball?
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Anonymous
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I used to love the pogoball. Me and my sister both had one and used to have competitions to see who could stay on it the longest. i never won - she used to push me off mine. Brilliant toy - wish they would bring them back.
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Anonymous
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i had one! Even though i'm just 15 now i had one when i was little, i just never knew what it was called. I could never balance on it though, and it was kinda deflated. I always thought it looked like a planet to me.
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Anonymous
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'PogoBal is wot ya call it!' LOL I remember we had one, and I loved that thing. I was one of the kids that got the knack of it straight away. I jumped rope with it, too. I remember we'd always fight over it. I wish they'd make them for adults now, like they make those big exercise balls, LOL.
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Anonymous
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I loved the pogoball! My younger brother and I both had one and we would take them to school with us everyday on the bus. Thats what we did everyday at recess, jump, and have contestes with our friends to see who could go the longest, or the highest , or do the best trick. I wonder what ever happened to that, or if I could ever find another one!
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Anonymous
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I am in the US - so we called the Pogoballs. I won a Pogoball contest at our local Wal-Mart for whoever could bounce the longest. I won a gift certificate for the toy section and I bought a waterbed for my Jem doll. I gotta get one of those again.
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Anonymous
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I remember on my step-sisters birthday getting a pogoball(she got one too) I would get so angry because i couldnt figure it out and my sister got the knack of it right off...i eventually learned and remember how my ankles got so sore from using them to gripp the sides of the ball
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Anonymous
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I remember when the spoiled kid across the street got one. We were hanging around after school... you know, during the window of opportunity before your parents get home from work... Anyway, his mom pulls into the driveway and he yelled like a little brat "MOM, I WANT A POGO-BAL!" She said ok, he got in the car, and they returned with one. My brother did eventually get one for Christmas that year, but my 'equivalent' present was a Spalding Basketball. I think I got the better deal. I think that basketball is still in my parents' garage.
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Anonymous
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I remember my Pogoball had a purple ring and silver ball, I spent more hours with it than all my other toys combined!! I even jumped rope with my Pogoball, isn't there some way to bring them back, I'd love to own one again, and I'd LOVE to teach my sons how to use them safely!!!
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Anonymous
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my friends dared me to jump down concrete steps...of course i did it and i was out of school for about a week...i skinned my back!
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Anonymous
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I had a loloball, which I guess was a cheaper version to the pogoball, and I remember the kids would always say, "That's not a real pogoball". I would try doing that aerial kick that was shown in the commercials and let go of the loloball before landing on my feet. I often found that the plastic ring would slip down.
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