Right now, let’s just talk about stilts, not the birth of modern stilts that look so weird. Originals are the type of stilts that anyone would immediately identify as 2 planks or planks of wood with pegs or blocks attached to them. The user would stand on the blocks and proceed to walk, wobble, swing, or simply fall. Stilts developed in ancient China during this time were used to entertain the emperor. He certainly had a good laugh every time the stilt-legged entertainer fell on his face! As time passed, stilts were used primarily for entertainment purposes. What 4th of July parade would be the same without Uncle Sam on stilts or Sparky the Clown?

However, more recently, probably since the advent of the metal known as aluminum, the need for stilts has transformed from entertainment to construction uses. These stilts look very different from the first ones built in China centuries ago. They are still pretty raw, only going up 2-3 feet. and attach it to a work boot with a leather strap. Construction stilts may be crude, but they are highly functional and save time for the tradesman. These aren’t the kind of stilts you might have played with as a child, but they could very well be the forerunners of the jumping stilts we’re looking at today.

In the mid to late 1990s, stilts strayed far from their earlier cousins ​​and became…some kind of contraption that looks like something out of a sci-fi movie! These “futuristic” looking jump stilts, due to their strange appearance, have conjured up many descriptive names, but the most common reference to them is, jump stilts. Okay, you might be thinking that’s a good story, but what’s next? “Whats Next?” We will have to wait for the rest of the story. The rest of the story takes shape during the 1950s, when “hot rods” were built in neighborhood garages and fast food and movies were all the rage. McDonald’s was emerging as a drive-in restaurant where customers ate their cheeseburgers and fries inside their cars. No one thought about “trans” fats or what constituted a healthy diet.

It was in this social context that a pair of California acrobatic performers during the 1950s came up with an idea for jumping on stilts. Being professionals at their craft, these stilts were apparently developed solely for their own use as performers. There is no record of these guys filing a patent or mass-producing their stilts for public use. Isn’t it a little surprising that some enterprising businessman didn’t come along and market those stilts as a new toy? People during this era weren’t as concerned with health and fitness as people are today, so marketing a new piece of sports gear probably wasn’t perceived as a good move. Thus, these jumping stilts maintained an image of being sports equipment used only by professionals, much like the tightrope act or trampoline would have been. These two guys were way ahead of their time and missed out on a great business opportunity.

Those 1950 versions of jumping stilts were called pogo stilts, a name still in use today. It’s a shame, but maybe the youth of the ’50s were more interested in rock and roll and fast cars. Nowadays it’s all about “virtual” this and “virtual” that where younger adults are more proactive in recreational sports. Most people like to experience the thrill of the “game” just like the “pro” athlete does. Rookie athletes don’t mind watching their favorite professional athletes perform, but they also want the opportunity to perform sporting feats according to their own abilities. They want to experience an adrenaline rush for themselves. Enter jumping stilts, used in the sport called Power Bocking.