Trampolines are fun toys made for all ages. Stop kidding yourself- you get as excited when you see a trampoline today, as when you first saw one when you were a kid. The fact of the matter is trampolines are wholesome fun toys that can be propped up easily, used anywhere, convenient for every sort of occasion -be it kids birthday parties, summer cookouts, pool get-togethers, and more.  

But besides being the swiss army knife of fun toys, there are many more things to trampolines. In fact, behind every bouncy toddler trampoline, there is a unique fun fact that you probably didn’t know. That’s why this article will attempt to highlight as many fun facts about trampoline as possible. However, for the sake of limited attention spans and word counts, we are going to limit the number of facts that we’re going to be sharing with you. So without further ado, here are 7 fun facts about trampolines that you probably didn’t know!

#6- The Person Who Invented the Trampoline was George Nissen

George Nissen, a young gymnast, was the person who invented the trampoline. In the 1930s, Nissen and his Gymnast Coach combined scrap steel and the inner tubes of a tire to create a piece of equipment he would then go on to use for his act in the Iowa Circus. He wanted to use his creation, the “bouncing rig”, to have the ability to leap into a backward somersault. 

#5- The First Trampoline Was Promoted by a Kangaroo 

To market and promote his creation, Nissen hired the help of a kangaroo. Nissen and Coach set up the trampoline in Central Park in New York City, and brought the kangaroo along as part of a demonstration that they did. Nissen placed the kangaroo on one end of the trampoline, and he would jump on the other end. The point was to show the crowd that Nissen can make the kangaroo hop while himself hopping on the opposing end. 

#4- Trampolining is Good For Your Bones!

Besides being a fun, amusing toy, and a gymnast’s best friend, trampolines are also very good equipment for workouts and fitness. In fact, studies show that being active on a trampoline can help improve your bone density and prevent health conditions like osteoporosis. See, we told you trampolines are good for all ages! 

#3- Record for Continuous Jumping is…

There are a lot of records held on a trampoline. Most backflips in a minute, most frontflips as well. But probably none as impressive as the record for continuous jumping which stands at a mind-blowing 53 days!  The record is held by the Epilson fraternity from Cleveland State University’s Delta, where 6 of its members set the record in 1986 and even received a congratulatory phone call from then U.S. President Ronald Reagan. 

#2- Most People to Jump on a Trampoline at Once Was 325

Unlike the previous record for continuous-time jumping, this record was set rather recently. In 2015, 325 people in the U.K. all jumped at once on a trampoline. However, that same record was recently broken by the Geylang Serai Sports Club in Singapore, who broke the record with 375 people, 50 more than the blokes in the U.K.!

#1- NASA says trampolining is better than jogging.

Did you know that trampolines have served as equipment for workouts and fitness? According to a NASA study, spending 10 minutes jumping on a trampoline helps you burn as many calories as going on a 30-minute jog. The added benefit is that the time spent trampolining does not put any added stress on your ligaments or joints. Fun fact within a fun fact, NASA once used trampolines to train astronauts. Apparently, they mimic well the constant bouncing on zero-gravity flights.