Wake Me Up Before You Pogo Quiz | Games & Toys

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1. Early German pogo stick prototypes were fashioned from wood, but it was not until George Hansburg designed an all-metal model that this quirky device became an international fad. In what year was the first US patent for the pogo stick granted?

Answer: 1919

In 1919 the owners of the Gimbel Brothers Department store were disappointed to discover that a shipment of pogo sticks which had been sent from Germany had arrived in poor condition. The wooden structure of the toys had warped and rotted, leaving them unsaleable. Remaining convinced that the basic concept was viable, they approached Illinois toy-maker George Hansburg, asking him to produce a more durable model.

He created a metal pogo stick which received a US patent that same year.

2. There are a number of conflicting stories about how the pogo stick got its name, but many of them make reference to a young girl who required mechanical assistance to get to temple every day. What, according to this folklore, was the girl's name? (Hint: This is not as difficult to guess as you might think.)

Answer: Pogo

This legend has many forms, depending upon where you find it. A traveler, who may have been German, was passing through a country which may have been Burma or Thailand, at some time between 1815 and 1915, where he met a poor farmer. The farmer could not afford shoes for his daughter Pogo, but had created a cross-shaped stick to enable her to jump through the mud to temple each day.

The traveler added a spring to make a more efficient contraption and, according to legend, the pogo stick was invented.

While many people sensibly concede that this story may be entirely fictional, it has certainly become part of the popular culture associated with the history of the pogo stick. An alternative explanation is that the name was derived from German manufacturer Pohlmann Goppel, but there is little evidence that such a company ever existed.

3. In an effort to popularise his new invention, George Hansburg trained the chorus girls of the Ziegfeld Follies to use pogo sticks during their act. What intriguing performance was featured in their show?

Answer: A wedding performed on pogo sticks

The Ziegfeld Follies, 1907-1931, were lavish Broadway performances famous for their beautiful chorus girls. In 1920, Hansburg taught the members of the chorus to pogo, and pogo sticks became a regular feature of the shows for a short time. On at least one occasion the chorus bounced their way through a mock wedding on pogo sticks, and sometimes the entire evening's performance featured the toys.

4. Most beginners find it a challenge to use a pogo stick for one minute without falling off, but in 1990 Gary Stewart entered the Guinness Book of World Records by jumping on a pogo stick for how long?

Answer: 20 hours and 20 minutes

The record attempt began on 25 May, 1990, at Huntington Beach, California, and ended the following day. During that time Stewart performed 177,737 consecutive pogo jumps.

5. Most people think of pogo sticks as bouncing up and down, but they can also be used to travel forwards. In 1997 Ashrita Furman set a distance record for travelling 37.18 kilometres (23.11 miles) on his pogo stick. How long did it take him?

Answer: 12 hours and 27 minutes

On 22 June, 1997, Ashrita Furman jumped on a pogo stick around the Queensborough Community College running track, and after almost twelve and a half hours had covered a whopping 37.18 kilometres. Furman has set over 250 official Guinness World Records including records for the fastest time pogo sticking up the CN Tower, the fastest pogo stick mile and one for underwater pogo sticking.

6. During her 'Hidden Audience Talents' segment in September 2009, which talk show host discovered that one of her audience members could skip rope while jumping on a pogo stick?

Answer: Ellen DeGeneres

This woman is clearly not the only person who has ever rehearsed this skill. In 2008 Ashrita Furman set a record for jumping rope 178 times in one minute while bouncing on a pogo stick. In the same 'Ellen' segment in which the young lady demonstrated her ability to jump rope on a pogo stick, a man showed the audience that he could kick himself in the head 25 times in 30 seconds.

7. Many of us remember pogo sticks as toys from our childhoods, but the catchphrase of the American Pogo Stick Company claims they sell pogo sticks for people within which age range?

Answer: 8 to 80 years

Although the American Pogo Stick Company's website claims that their products are used by people from 8 to 80, the age specifications for their pogo products indicate that some are recommended for children as young as 4 years and others for people as old as 90. One wonders how many 90 year olds schedule riding a pogo stick as part of their weekly routine.

8. The pogo stick has received some major design modifications during the twenty-first century. Which of the following has NOT EVER been used as an improvement on the traditional pogo stick spring?

Answer: Flubber

The popular Flybar can send a rider weighing 250 pounds 5 feet off the ground using rubber bands as propulsion. Vertigo produces a pogo stick using compressed air which, it claims, can send a rider 16 feet into the air. The BowGo uses a strip of fibreglass to provide its lift.

9. Technological innovation in pogo stick design has led to the development of extreme pogo. What is the name of the world championships for stunt pogo?

Answer: Pogopalooza

Aside from expected events such as the highest jump and the most or least jumps per minute, competitors at Pogopalooza perform acrobatic stunts such as the one-foot soul grab and the ice-pick stall. The event has been running since 2006, and in 2009 competitors ranged from 13 to 24 years of age.

10. The computer game 'Pogo Xtreme' is clearly attempting to market itself to male teens. What is the aim of this game?

Answer: To perform pogo stunts and impress girls

'Pogo Xtreme' is a free online game which features a teenage boy on a pogo stick. Players are encouraged to master such tricks as the 360 Bar Spin, the Superman, the Double LeapFrog and the Saran Wrap.

Source: Author looney_tunes

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor Bruyere before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.

Wake Me Up Before You Pogo Trivia Quiz

I couldn't help but wake the neighbours as I bounced on the rusty, squeaky pogo stick of my childhood, but I recently discovered there is much more to the pogo stick than I ever imagined.

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