In case you’ve never seen a stomp rocket, the idea is far from complicated: an air-filled pillow is connected to a launchpad with a hose. Place one of the plastic rockets on the launcher, step or jump on the pillow, and the rocket should go flying into the air.

You’re supposed to be able to reach altitudes of up to 200 feet (61 meters), though this almost certainly requires the gentle touch of a sumo wrestler.

Even so, smaller children can still achieve a decent-to-impressive launch height with a little practice.

Even younger kids shouldn’t have any trouble setting up the launcher by themselves, making this toy suitable for ages 5 and up. This definitely includes adults, who won’t be able to stop themselves from trying; the soft air pillow is rugged enough not to be damaged by their weight.

In fact, this toy is very well-built considering the price – one good reason to choose the original rather than one of the numerous knockoffs of this concept.

In addition, the larger dual launcher is more stable than the single version you may be used to, in addition to causing less whining and bickering even when multiple children want to take turns.

One thing that could be improved is that there’s no easy way of tilting the launcher to one side to compare different stompistas’ distance as well as height. This is probably for the best, as these rockets are prone to getting stuck in trees and on roofs, especially if anything more than a light breeze is blowing.

The package includes 4 rockets, in different colors to help tell them apart. They’re thoroughly padded to avoid injury but also quite flimsy.

Careless handling will cause the fins to snap off, so you will eventually have to rescue them with some tape and superglue or get a couple of replacements, including light-up versions for use at night