I don’t sweat, I sparkle. Kids can do both with the Kess Ice Hopper, which combines glitter and skipping to make the most out of a nostalgic toy.
The Ice Hopper’s design is simple enough: It features a long, flexible plastic tube with a glitter-filled ball on one end and a ring big enough to slip your foot through on the other end. The idea is to put it around your ankle, give it a spin, and start jumping. Every time the ball comes full circle, you hop over it with your other foot. If you’re a ‘90s baby, you’re probably screaming right now because it looks like a sparkly, glammed-up version of the Skip It.
It seems like such a simple toy, but there are multiple ways to play with it. The easiest way for kids to use it is to hop in-place with it around one ankle to see how long they can keep the streak going. If older kids want something more challenging, they can move their bodies as they jump, seeing how far they can jog with the Ice Hopper still in play. Kids can also play together — jump rope-style — with one person using the Ice Hopper while the other stands by their side. Both kids can hop over it together with each rotation. Multiple kids can also use their own Ice Hoppers to compete and see who can keep it in motion the longest without messing up.
This active toy is designed for kids ages 6 and up, but it will still be fun for tweens and even adults (I speak from experience). The length on it is long enough for people of varying heights to use without a problem, too. This means that families with kids of different ages will get a lot of use out of it.
Since the Ice Hopper requires physical activity, you’re going to want to use it outdoors. If you’re using it on a sidewalk or driveway, the plastic ball will likely get beat up and scratched from spinning around on the hard ground. The level of sparkle seems to vary — I have two Ice Hoppers and one came with way more glitter in it than the other, but for just $14.99 we’ll take as much glitter as we can get.
At the end of the day, it’s a really fun and simple toy that will keep kids sparkling all summer long.
