In an alternate universe, parents swiftly learn and get accustomed to new technology, but in this reality, parents try (and fail) to get accustomed with the times. Here, we've compiled some videos captured by snickering children while their parents struggle to stay on top of these self-balancing scooters.
At least, this time, it did not voluntary combust:
Apparently, "self-balancing" here is an acquired skill:
Grandma is doing better than everyone else:
Not even Santa is ready to replace his sleigh with these mini-Segweys:
Hoverboards are the most popular stocking stuffers this holiday season. Many children found the handle-less self-balancing Segweys under the tree come Christmas morning and by Saturday, the tag #HoverboardFails was trending on Twitter. Many of these wipeouts were documented on social media sites, particularly, Instagram and Twitter.
It is no surprise that children - and adults - prayed to Santa that they get their own hoverboards. After seeing celebrities like Justin Bieber and the Kardashians posted images on themselves on these cool-looking transport machines, it became one of the hottest items this year. Chris Brown, the general manager of AirWheels, admitted that demand for the self-balancing scooters "skyrocketed" after high-profile celebs were spotted riding these devices.
"All of a sudden they skyrocketed in the space of a week because Chris Brown and one of the Kardashians, Mike Tyson, Buzz Aldrin all posted on Instagram and Twitter," Brown said on a report by Sydney Morning Herald. "The demand that we have had for these units has been phenomenal - probably tenfold our expectations. We couldn't have predicted it."
However, despite the obvious profitability, some retailers have already stopped selling some models of these devices. The largest e-commerce site in North America, Amazon.com, pulled out several models including some units sold by Swagway, according to USA Today. Target also "temporarily" stopped selling this season's coolest toy due to safety concerns.
