As a kid, I never owned a space hopper and I must admit I never harboured a desire for one. It’s only now that this huge rubber satsuma has started to intrigue me. For a start, how did they inflate ? Did they inflate, or did you have to carry them out of the toy shop and stick it on the back seat of the Hillman Avenger with it’s evil smile aimed at the drivers behind ? Did they ever go bang ? When the kids grew up and lost interest in them in favour of Les from the Bay City Rollers, how were they disposed of in an enviromentally friendly way ? Would the dustbin men take them without asking for a tip ? How come that kids could bounce up and down the avenue in them, yet all I could manage was a few minutes worth of bouncing on the spot ?