Space Pets
Encyclopedia
Space Pets were a line of pneumatic-powered toy
s designed, manufactured and marketed by TOMY
(Takara) for the American market in the early 1980s.
" that was used to recharge the air tank. The air pump resembled a bicycle pump
, although smaller. The flagship model was the "High Hoppin' Hoomdorm", which was something of a mechanical grasshopper
that would hop furiously (and somewhat erratically) across the room. Other models included the "Stretch Legged Stoomdorm" which propelled itself in an accordion-like fashion, the "Fleet Footed Floomdorm" which sort of shuffled along on pie-shaped feet and the "Lurch Along Loomdorm" which raises up by means of scissor action, then fell forward and retracted its feet. There were four models in total. The entire Space Pets line was closely related to TOMY Air Powered Vehicle line. Variations of Space Pets were sold under other names outside of the USA. For example, the "High Hoppin' Hoomdorm" was packaged and sold as the "Sky Hopper" in the United Kingdom
. Likewise, "Lunar Legs" was an alias for the "Stretch Legged Stoomdorm".
Hoomdorms, in particular, were manufactured in two places: Singapore
for distribution in Australia
, and Japan
for the United States
. There are very slight differences in the product between the two places of origin.
Contrary to logic it is the frenetic hopping Hoomdorms which seem to have the greatest "survival rate" and are still working after over 25 years. Many Stoomdorms, Floomdorms and Loomdorms have simply stopped functioning properly, if at all.
It is believed that one of the major failures to Space Pets' success was the odd choice of names like "Hoomdorm" and "Floomdorm". A notable argument for this theory is the lack of information available on the internet
regarding these toys.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
s designed, manufactured and marketed by TOMY
TOMY
is a Japanese toy, children's merchandise and entertainment company created from the March 2006 merger of two companies: Tomy and long-time rival, Takara...
(Takara) for the American market in the early 1980s.
Design
The basic principle was to use a small air tank to capture, compress and controllably release air power and convert it into mechanical motion. Each Space Pet shipped with a "Tomy air pumpAir pump
An air pump is a device for pushing air. Examples include a bicycle pump, pumps that are used to aerate an aquarium or a pond via an airstone; a gas compressor used to power a pneumatic tool, air horn or pipe organ; a bellows used to encourage a fire; and a vacuum pump.The first effective air pump...
" that was used to recharge the air tank. The air pump resembled a bicycle pump
Bicycle pump
A bicycle pump is a type of positive-displacement pump specifically designed for inflating bicycle tires. It has a connection or adapter for use with one or both of the two most common types of valves used on bicycles, Schrader or Presta...
, although smaller. The flagship model was the "High Hoppin' Hoomdorm", which was something of a mechanical grasshopper
Grasshopper
The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...
that would hop furiously (and somewhat erratically) across the room. Other models included the "Stretch Legged Stoomdorm" which propelled itself in an accordion-like fashion, the "Fleet Footed Floomdorm" which sort of shuffled along on pie-shaped feet and the "Lurch Along Loomdorm" which raises up by means of scissor action, then fell forward and retracted its feet. There were four models in total. The entire Space Pets line was closely related to TOMY Air Powered Vehicle line. Variations of Space Pets were sold under other names outside of the USA. For example, the "High Hoppin' Hoomdorm" was packaged and sold as the "Sky Hopper" in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Likewise, "Lunar Legs" was an alias for the "Stretch Legged Stoomdorm".
Hoomdorms, in particular, were manufactured in two places: Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
for distribution in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. There are very slight differences in the product between the two places of origin.
Contrary to logic it is the frenetic hopping Hoomdorms which seem to have the greatest "survival rate" and are still working after over 25 years. Many Stoomdorms, Floomdorms and Loomdorms have simply stopped functioning properly, if at all.
It is believed that one of the major failures to Space Pets' success was the odd choice of names like "Hoomdorm" and "Floomdorm". A notable argument for this theory is the lack of information available on the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
regarding these toys.
External links
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/SunsetStrip/8410/hoomdorm.html&date=2009-10-25+10:10:13
- http://www.jeffbots.com/stoomdorm.html