Pogo stick rental startup swears it’s not a joke

Actually, it's launching in my city and the area around my apartment would be wonderful for a pogo-stick. The scooters are very much frowned upon here but I'd rent a pogo stick for a bit!

They are going to end up in the ocean en-masse though.

dm3• 7 years ago

I stumbled upon another example of seemingly non-sensical potato-printing-and-mailing businesses in a Twitter post[0] yesterday. Mailaspud is actually going strong since at least 2014 so it's definitely not a joke.

At this point I will believe anything.

[0] https://twitter.com/Paul_Courtney/status/1136274715092377605

kall1sto2• 7 years ago

Still makes more sense than renting pogosticks.

itronitron2• 7 years ago

origami boulder is also still going strong...

http://www.origamiboulder.com

kall1sto2• 7 years ago

This is their biggest rival https://www.gopogogo.com/

nikkwong• 7 years ago

Just......no. Do these people know how exhausting it is to even pogostick across a single block? I can hardly do it, and I'm in very good shape.

There might be some niche in leaving them in parks and public places as entertainment pieces for bored passerby/tourists; but, as a transportation mechanism, just, no, I don't see it.

xorcist• 7 years ago

Electric assist pogosticks, then?

You heard it here first!

taneq2• 7 years ago

I've often thought that self-balancing tech could make powered unicycles practical (moreso than the few attempts we've seen so far). I don't see why pogo sticks shouldn't join them! :D

arethuza2• 7 years ago

Presumably with Autopogo so you can have a nap or read HN while pogoing about?

Edit: Could we have self-pogoing pogo sticks that could come and pick me up? What a bright future we have waiting for us.

Edit2: What about delivering pogo sticks by drone?

logicallee• 7 years ago

Regenerative braking with 90% energy recovery. You'll need it too because the ride is stop and go all the way.

teddyh• 7 years ago

Didn’t Doctor Snuggles always use to travel by automated pogo stick?

intrasight• 7 years ago

When I was a frosh at CMU (1983) and working in the robotics lab, the lab next door was Marc Raibert's, and when his hopping robot was operating, everyone knew it. That thing was LOUD.

http://www.robothalloffame.org/inductees/08inductees/raibert...

CaptainZapp• 7 years ago

Only when they come with AI and are cloud based.

teekert2• 7 years ago

Sorry to ask but as person from the Netherlands, is there any definition of the length of a "block"? And then, why not use meters? (Or feet if you want to of course?)

fingerlocks• 7 years ago

A block is just some arbitrarily short distance. It’s the distance between two cross streets, maybe 1/10th of a mile. It’s not intended to be precise.

probably_wrong• 7 years ago

In my South American corner of the world, blocks are about 100m. Most cities there are relatively new (specially when compared to European ones), so most of them were planned from the beginning.

toomanybeersies• 7 years ago

As an Australian, I've always used "block" to mean an arbitrary short distance, up to maybe 1 km.

It's not an actual measurement, but rather a figure of speech. Just like "round the corner" doesn't actually mean literally around the corner.

sampo• 7 years ago

Sorry to ask but as person from the Netherlands, is there any definition of the length of a "block"?

In both Amsterdam and Hague, city blocks (when they exist) seem to be surprisingly similar in size to those in Manhattan, New York. About 50-70 meters in one direction and 150-200 meters in the other direction.

teekert2• 7 years ago

That movie... if anything feels like a parody, this is it.

RaceWon• 7 years ago

how exhausting it is to even pogostick across a single block? I can hardly do it, and I'm in very good shape.

Bro, do you even pogo?

brm• 7 years ago

Yeah, but if you view it as a novel way to get people to download an app and later the app offers scooters, bikes, and rides you can see where it might be going...

I'm not saying pogo sticks as an onboarding strategy is a great idea but its also not nearly the worst idea i've ever encountered from a startup.

syn0byte• 7 years ago

Is it not? Haven't we just spend 2 days reading/talking about them? Seems to be working out well for them so far.

The opening paragraph has one of their Psychologist angel investors saying exactly this.

pontifier• 7 years ago

Exactly... nobody who has ever tried going any significant distance on a pogo stick would ever mistake this for a real transportation alternative.

malka2• 7 years ago

Too hard to opt out to tracking from this site. Wont read.

CraneWorm• 7 years ago

here you go: https://outline.com/yJL5cm

malka2• 7 years ago

Thank you very much sir, i could not remember the name of this site. Just bookmarked it

krilly• 7 years ago

It is a joke? They say it right there in the article, it's just a stunt they're doing to get the brand out there

Semiapies• 7 years ago

"He also emphasizes that Cangoroo plans to expand to different kinds of vehicles in the future—but will not say what kind yet—raising the possibility that the pogo sticks are a seat-of-the-pants attempt at drawing attention to the company’s future endeavors."

Ayup.

inflatableDodo2• 7 years ago

I think it would work better as marketing if they hadn't just admitted that it was. Could still mention the scooters, just claim that they are a minor side business to your pogostick empire.

_pmf_2• 7 years ago

Every time the topic of pogo sticks comes up, I have to fight the urge to buy a Vurtego V4[0].

[0] https://www.vurtegopogo.com/v4-pogo-stick/

itronitron2• 7 years ago

how long until people start playing pogo polo?

_pmf_2• 7 years ago

Sounds a lot less dangerous than horse pogo to me, to be honest.

elliekelly• 7 years ago

10ft+ jump potential?? that's really incredible

Illniyar• 7 years ago

Yo?

RickJWagner• 7 years ago

Sounds like a lawsuit waiting to happen....

mgkimsal• 7 years ago

having just fallen off one right before my second bounce... I can say this sounds more dangerous than I would have first thought. I landed on my tailbone - head helmets don't seem nearly useful enough. I'm grateful nothing was broken but 2 weeks later I still have occasional stabs of pain from that.

ghaff2• 7 years ago

I tried one once years ago. I admittedly don't have the world's best balance but it was much harder than I would have expected. I'm sure there are some people for whom it's relatively effortless with a bit of practice but they wouldn't seem to be the target market for rentals.

Hard to believe this isn't at least somewhat tongue in cheek/PR.

mhb• 7 years ago

Can Repelling Magnets Replace the Spring in a Pogo Stick?:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18694006

k__• 7 years ago

Doesn't it destroy your knees?

pbhjpbhj3• 7 years ago

Just have your legs replaced with pogo implants.

ajay-d• 7 years ago

"It’s important to note that the marketing came from ODD Company, an agency known for elaborate campaigns, such as grass slippers, that involve creating fictional products or staging stunts for an existing brand."

Pogo stick rental startup swears it’s not a joke

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