These neighbours who I speak of were accustomed to seeing people from Planet Earth riding horses as they had done for centuries. However, in the year of Our Lord, 1969, The Stair came under attack from very strange creatures from Outer-Space. Young girls resembling Eilleen Hogg, Anne Hoffmann and others were seen riding fat, distended, ghastly orange creatures. A further oddity was this was done bare-back, with the riders holding on to the creatures' horned ears. Fortunately these creatures did not adapt too well to Earth-at Oxgangs this proved to be a very inefficient form of transport-after several bounces the invaders seemed to run out of steam and needed to take breathers. These creatures went under the name of Space-Hoppers.
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| Eilleen Hogg circa 1969/1970 (Photograph , Peter Hoffmann) |
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| A happy Anne Hoffmann just after dismounting from a Space-Hopper! circa 1969/1970 (Photograph, Peter Hoffmann) |
After a while the creatures just seemed to fade away-to run out of gas, so to speak. No one knows what happened to them; and what about the Space-Hoppers?-before you breathe a sigh of relief, beware Earthlings and other followers of The Stair-the Space-Hoppers may not all be extinct-indeed, it is rumoured many still exist and are hiding away in peoples' attics or sheds.
2 comments:
Clearly remember space hoppers and clackers which were subsequently banned due to wrist injuries. Remember
waking up one Christmas morning and 3 space hoppers laid out on the settee for me, Alison and Esther think one by one they all got burst.
Impressive Ruth, riding your Space-Hopper with one hand whilst playing with your Clackers with the other!I wonder what the collective noun is for the Stairs platoon of space-Hoppers-any suggestions anyone?
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