It is in fact June 1st, not April 1st, and this is allegedly a real story, though I'm still not completely sure: A Swedish mobility company says it wants to bring pogo-stick rentals to San Francisco. I guess because e-scooters are neither ridiculous nor dangerous enough as it is?
The company, which I kid you not is called Cangoroo, is planning to launch its rentable adult pogo sticks in Malmo and Stockholm this summer, with rollouts planned after that in London and San Francisco. Want to try one? Better invest in a good helmet! And a chiropractor!
The story started dribbling out last week, with The Next Web using the headline "The CEO of pogo stick-sharing startup Cangoroo insists his company isn’t a hoax." That CEO, Adam Mikkelsen, tells Bay City News that in the "micro-mobility" market, "the existing players are very generic when it comes to brand loyalty and making a statement." So pogo sticks, he apparently thinks, are just the "statement" the world needs right now. He also talks about pogo sticks as fitness devices, and foresees the rentals being popular in Golden Gate Park.
The Next Web points out that Cangoroo is owned by ODD Company, a branding and communications firm that seems to specialize in attention-grabbing stunts, like these grass slippers that were part of a campaign for a line of sodas from Carlsberg. But Mikkelsen keeps insisting this venture is real.
And it's not just pogo sticks... Cangoroo is apparently at work on prototypes for "other micro-mobility vehicles [to be used] as alternatives to e-scooters." Mikkelsen also mentions something about kickbikes.
SFMTA spokesman Paul Rose was forced to comment on the prospect of rentable pogo sticks, saying in a statement, "We don’t have specific details about this company, but we will review any new transportation service to ensure compliance with existing laws."
Using the hashtag "#jumpintothefuture," the company has created the promotional video below, showing a couple of happy Swedes pogo-ing their way to a rocky beach.
Real or fake? You decide...
