The 50s and 60s will likely go down as the Era of Fads, when Americans would buy anything, try anything and do it in mass. We had Hippies.
And there were also Pogo Sticks, perhaps the dumbest fad of with a handle at the top and footrests at the bottom with a spring surrounding the pole, joining two sections. The pogo jumper placed his feet on the footpads while keeping balance on the pole, then hopped around, lifted by the recoil of the spring, and launched into the air anywhere between two inches and a couple feet.
It didn’t take me long to figure out that I was not meant for pogo sticks. First, I didn’t weigh enough to force the springs to bounce more than a few inches and second, this was work, not fun. I tried it once and quickly retired from the Pogo-sphere. But in the late 50s’ and early 60’s, millions were sold. Pogo Sticks are still being made today. Some people just never learn.
