The Pogo Stick

Circa 1960s

A spring stilt utilizing compression springs on each foot was patented in 1881 by George H. Herrington of Wichita, Kansas "for leaping great distances and heights".  This was the early invention of the pogo stick.

The modern pogo stick was invented by Max Pohlig and Ernst Gottschall from Germany.  A German patent was registred on March 1920 for a device called a "spring end hopping stilt".  It is thought the beginning two letters in these men's last names is where the word "pogo" originated.  

The pogo stick is a vehicle for jumping off the ground in a standing position through the aid of a spring. It consisted of a pole with a ball at the top and footrests near the bottom and a spring located inside the pole.  The spring joins two sections of the pole which extends below the footpads.  The jumper places their feet on the footpads while balancing on the pole, then jumps up and down with a bending action of the knees to add or subtract energy in the spring.  When the spring is at full compression or extension, the jumper is lifted by the recoil of the spring being launched several inches or feet into the air. This procss is repeated to maintain a periodic bounce.

The pogo stick can be steered by shifing one's weight off the centerline of the spring in the desired horizontal direction thus producing horizontal motion. 

A twelve year old by the name of Lachlan Racovalis has bounced to glory to become the official Guinness World Record holder for the most pogo stick jumps in one minute with a whopping 187 bounces.