Spring-heel Jacks
Pair of Moon Shoes
1960s (manufactured)
1960s (manufactured)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
The first pair of ‘jumping shoes’ available might have been the ‘Kangru-Springshu’, claimed by several sources to have been sold in the 1920s. The US vs. USSR Space Race (1957-1969) provided a lease of life for this fun and dangerous type of toy, as bouncing along on the metal springs was said to emulate the feeling of walking on the moon, hence the generic name: ‘Moon Shoes’. Some astronauts and cosmonauts became international celebrities, role models, and these shoes would have enabled children to experience (allegedly, and to a degree) some of the same new sensations felt by these pioneering men and women in space.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Parts | This object consists of 2 parts.
|
| Title | Spring-heel Jacks (manufacturer's title) |
| Materials and techniques | Pressed metal; leather |
| Brief description | Pair of Spring-heel Jacks 'Moon Shoes'; metal, mounted on a pair of large springs, with red straps; Ridgetown Ltd, West Norwood, 1960s |
| Physical description | Pair of 'Moon Shoes', each is a flat platform rising slightly in two points behind the heel, threaded with two red leather straps. These straps fasten with buckles. The shoes' lengths can be adjusted by twin bolts on their undersides. Fastened to the base of each shoe are two large, tapering springs, one at front, one at the back |
| Dimensions |
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| Production type | Mass produced |
| Marks and inscriptions | 'PAT. APPLIED FOR' |
| Gallery label |
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| Credit line | Given by Alan Craft |
| Object history | The donor purchased this object at a sale on the Isle of Wight in 2014-15. He gave the shoes to the V&A in 2016 [2016/580]. |
| Production | Most models of Moon Shoes seem to have had a baseplate under the twin springs. Presumably, this would have provided extra stability when bouncing. |
| Summary | The first pair of ‘jumping shoes’ available might have been the ‘Kangru-Springshu’, claimed by several sources to have been sold in the 1920s. The US vs. USSR Space Race (1957-1969) provided a lease of life for this fun and dangerous type of toy, as bouncing along on the metal springs was said to emulate the feeling of walking on the moon, hence the generic name: ‘Moon Shoes’. Some astronauts and cosmonauts became international celebrities, role models, and these shoes would have enabled children to experience (allegedly, and to a degree) some of the same new sensations felt by these pioneering men and women in space. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | B.3-2016 |
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| Record created | July 28, 2016 |
| Record URL |
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