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A photo of a pair of spring shoes collection in V&A showing two metal shoes with springs on the bottom and brown leather straps. They are set again a pink dotted background with a blue halo. — Summer objects V&A hero

6 V&A objects to get you through summer

Summer is here and we have picked a collection of our V&A objects to get you through. It’s time to get really retro and take those Spacehoppers for a bounce, snap photos of your friends on Polaroid cameras and even dare to try the springiest shoes ever invented. Enjoy your summer!

Worming about on Inchworm!

An image of a green and yellow plastic push along toy called an Inchworm with a little yellow hat and yellow seat with antennae handles and yellow wheels. It is set against an orange to dark orange gradient background with blue halo. — Inch worm toy V&A

BEEP BEEP! Imagine riding up to your mate’s house on this sweet ride from the 1970s? Inchworm won’t just take you an inch, it’ll take you a mile. Okay maybe not that far… you’d probably have to carry it most of the way.

Wanna be on the moon?

An image of a pair of 'moon shoes' which were a 1960s toy for children that had two springs on a metal sole with straps allowing children to jump up and down and experience 'moon jumping' - the shoes are set against a gradient background of orange to darker orange. — Spring Hill Jack Shoes V&A

Spend those long summer evenings pretending you’re an astronaut on the moon in these gravity-defying 1960s moon shoes. Or not, as it is reported these springy shoes caused a few twisted ankles of wearers. OUCH. Still, one can dream about weightlessness on a starry night.

Hops to the shops on Space Hopper!

A gif of a space hopper bouncing from left to right against a yellow to orange gradient background. — Space hopper

Who had one of these as a kid? Space Hoppers were the toy craze of the 1970s – kids everywhere were hopping about on these in streets across the globe. You can still get these specific hoppers now for a retro play. Getting around has never been so fun. Or hoppy!

STRIKEEEEE!

An image of the board game STRIKER showing four children playing the game which is a green football pitch with mini footballers. — Striker game V&A

Summer days can sometimes mean rain, so what better way to make up for the lack of outdoor sports than playing a vintage board game of footie? We bet your fingers can act as great feet!

Harry Potter – Charms, Potions or Spells?!

Harry Potter Casting Stones Collectible Game showing the pieces for the round board game against a yellow to orange gradient background. — Harry Potter game V&A

After the football game, why not play this Harry Potter collectable game (also on display at the Young V&A in Bethnal Green, London) where similar to ‘rock, paper, scissors, stones’ you have to beat your opponent with a collection of spells, potions or charms. How do you think you’d do in this game?!

SNAP!

A photo of a polaroid camera in black with the rainbow stripe leading to the words 'supercolor' - set against a yellow to orange gradient background. — Polaroid Camera V&A

Who needs smartphones to snap pics of your friends when you could do it on a Polaroid camera. Nothing beats having instant, printed photos to share and pop on the wall! Retro cameras are back in! If you want to learn more about Polaroid cameras, watch our fascinating Brief History of Polaroids now! Enjoy the summer!

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