View source for Stilts

{{Short description|Poles used for circus performance, pastime, or work}}
{{About|the poles|the type of bird|Stilt|other uses}}
[[File:Ethiopia Banna tribe kids.jpg|thumb|Children of the [[Banna people]] in Ethiopia on stilts]]
[[File:Handwerkerstelzen.JPG|thumb|upright|Plasterer's (drywall) stilts]]
[[Image:FacteurPaysdeBuch.jpg|thumb|upright|A French postman on stilts, early 20th century]]
[[File:Échassiers indigènes d’Itcho.jpg|thumb|upright|Stilts from China in late Qing dynasty]]
'''Stilts''' are poles, posts or pillars that allow a person or structure to stand at a height above the ground.

Stilts for walking have platforms for the feet and may be strapped to the user's legs. Stilts have been used for many hundreds of years.<ref name="Namur">[http://www.echasseurs.org ''Les Echasseurs Namurois''.] (visited 2008-03-11)</ref>

==Types==
[[File:Echasseurs-Echasse-Or-Fetes-de-Wallonie-3-Skuds.jpg|alt=Joust on stilts in Namur. Stiltwalkers fights dates back to 1411 in Namur and still exists today.|thumb|Joust on stilts in Namur. Stiltwalkers fights dates back to 1411 in Namur and still exists today.]]
[[Image:Stiltwalker parade 2004.jpg|thumb|upright|A stilt walker dressed as a [[court jester]] participating in a parade]]

===Hand-held===
[[File:Le garçon sur échasses.jpg|thumb|upright|left|A boy on stilts. Smolensk (Russia), 1952.]]

Hand-held stilts are used as childhood toys and in circus skills workshops and are of two main types: string and can/bucket stilts and pole stilts. Unlike other forms of stilts, hand-held stilts are not tied or strapped to the wearer.

Hand-held pole stilts consist of two long poles, each with a foot support. The stilt walker holds onto the upper end of the pole, rests their feet on the foot plates, and pulls upward on the pole while taking a step.

A second type of hand-held pole stilts are similar to the first type but end in a handle so the walker has more control and flexibility to move their stilts. Those type of stilts can be very high (more than {{cvt|4|m|disp=or}} under feet).

Hand-held string stilts (also known as tin can or bucket stilts) are platforms with strings attached to them. The platforms, most commonly made of [[tin can]]s or small plastic upturned buckets hold the stilt walker's weight while the strings are used to pull the cans to the feet as they take a step.

===Peg===
Peg stilts, also known as Chinese stilts, are commonly used by professional performers. These stilts strap on at the foot, ankle, and just below the knee. Peg stilts are often made from wood but can also be made of aluminium or tubular steel. This type of stilts are the most lightweight ones and allow a user to walk quickly, to turn suddenly, and even to jump rope or dance. The stilt walker must keep moving at all times to keep their balance.

===Drywall===
[[Drywall]] stilts are adjustable tools designed for elevating users to reach high ceilings and walls, eliminating the need for frequent ladder or bench climbing and thereby reducing task completion times. They are widely utilized by tradespeople in drywall installation, electrical work, insulation, acoustics, painting, and other construction tasks. Constructed from lightweight yet robust materials like aluminum or magnesium, these stilts include features such as padded calf braces, secure straps at calves, ankles, and toes, dual-action springs for balance, and non-slip soles for stability and comfort. Compared to peg stilts used in performance arts and traditional wood stilts, drywall stilts excel in adjustability, safety, strength, and efficiency, minimizing fatigue and boosting productivity among professionals.

===Spring===
[[Spring stilts]] also known as bounce stilts are spring-loaded and allow the user to run, jump and perform various acrobatics. Spring stilts using fiberglass leaf springs were patented in the United States in 2004 under the trademark "PowerSkip", marketed for recreational and extreme sports use.<ref>Alexander Böck (Apr 13, 2004) {{US Patent|6719671}} "Device for helping a person to walk".</ref> Using these stilts is also called [[powerbocking]], named for the stilts' inventor, Alexander Boeck. Spring stilts are often mostly made of aluminium. Spring stilts using steel coil springs, an antecedent of the [[pogo stick]], were attempted in the 19th century.<ref>George H. Heerington (Feb 22, 1881) {{US Patent|238042}} "Spring-stilt"</ref><ref>Nicholas Yagn (Oct 21, 1890) {{US Patent|438830}} "Apparatus for facilitating walking"</ref>

===Digitigrade===

The [[digitigrade]] stilt is a peg stilt whose line follows the foot and not the shin bone. This allows costumers to mimic the walk of an animal. Because of the extreme stresses on this type of design they tend to be more rare; that is, fewer successful home-made designs.

===Articulated===

This type of stilt is similar to drywall stilts in that they allow the walker to stand in one place without having to shift weight from foot to foot to stay balanced. Articulated stilts feature a flexing joint under the ball of the foot and, in one variant, under the heel. These stilts are commonly used in theme parks such as [[Walt Disney World]] and [[Universal Pictures|Universal Studios]] because they allow performers to safely dance and perform stunts that would easily damage other types of stilts. Two brands of articulated stilts include "Bigfoots" manufactured by Gary Ensmenger of Orlando, Florida, and "Jay Walkers", manufactured by Stilt Werks of Las Vegas, Nevada.<ref>[http://www.stiltwerks-inc.com/HTML/Products/Stilts/jay_walker.html "Stilt Werks"]. ''stiltwerks-inc.com''.</ref><ref>Gary Ensmenger (Feb 18, 1986) {{US Patent|4570926}} [https://web.archive.org/web/20140905074208/http://tallpuppets.com/BigFootStiltAD.jpg "Toe-articulated stilt"]</ref>

==History==
[[File:Getty Villa - Storage Jar with a chorus of Stilt walkers - inv. VEX.2010.3.65.jpg|thumb|upright|Ancient Greek jar depicting stilt walkers, 6th century BC]]
In Armenia, [[Urartu|Urartian]] bronze belts dating from the 9th to 7th centuries BCE have been found depicting acrobats on stilts.<ref>Ursula Seidl, "Bronzekunst Urartus". 2004, Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein, Germany, p. 141</ref> Archaeological ruins and texts show that stiltwalking was practised in [[ancient Greece]] as far back as the 6th century BCE. The [[ancient Greek]] word for a stilt walker was κωλοβαθριστής (''kōlobathristēs''),<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkwlobaqristh%2Fs κωλοβαθριστής], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> from κωλόβαθρον (''kōlobathron''), "stilt",<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkwlo%2Fbaqron κωλόβαθρον], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> a compound of κῶλον (''kōlon''), "limb"<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dkw%3Dlon κῶλον], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> and βάθρον (''bathron''), "base, pedestal".<ref>[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3Dba%2Fqron βάθρον], Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', on Perseus</ref> Some stilt use traditions are very old. In [[Namur]], Belgium, [[Namur stilt jousting|stilt walkers of Namur]] have practiced fights on stilts since 1411.<ref>Les échasseurs namurois. [http://www.echasseurs.org/en "Stilt walkers of Namur : fights on stilts"]. ''echasseurs.org''.</ref> The inhabitants of marshy or flooded areas sometimes use stilts for practical purposes, such as working in [[swamps]]{{citation needed|reason=swamp use is an extraordinary claim requiring extraordinary source|date=April 2019}} or fording swollen rivers. The shepherds of the [[Landes forest|Landes region]] of southern [[France]] used to watch their flocks while standing on stilts to extend their field of vision, while townspeople often used them to traverse the soggy ground in their everyday activities.

Stilts were used by workers to attach hop grass to wires at 12 feet above the ground. This technique was documented up to the mid 20th century before being superseded.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/topics/c01yxyz46myt|publisher=BBC Archive clips|title=Kentish Stilt-walkers Already Out (Newsreel - 25 February, 1949)|date=2018-06-21}}</ref>

==Modern uses==

Stilts can be used as a prop in entertainment, as a tool to enable other types of work to be achieved and as part of a hobby or recreation.

===Entertainment===

Stilts are used widely in many countries for entertainment. Stilt walkers perform in parades, festivals, street events and at corporate functions.

The [[festival|local festivals]] of [[Anguiano]] ([[La Rioja, Spain]]) feature a dance on stilts in which dancers go down a stepped street while turning.
The dancers have been male for more than 400 years until 2025, when a young woman was included in the dance.<ref name="Fernández">{{cite news |last1=Fernández García |first1=Ester |title=Una mujer se calza los zancos por primera vez en Anguiano y rompe una barrera de 400 años |url=https://www.eldiario.es/la-rioja/mujer-calza-zancos-primera-vez-anguiano-rompe-barrera-400-anos_1_12641262.html |access-date=30 September 2025 |work=ElDiario.es |date=29 September 2025 |language=es-ES}}</ref>
Other stilt walking and dancing festivals are held in [[Deventer]], [[Netherlands]], in early July each year, and in [[Namur (city)|Namur]], [[Belgium]].

Early stilt walking acts were mostly of the style of a very tall person with the costume having long trousers or skirt to cover the stilts. More recently stilt walkers have created a wide variety of costumes that do not resemble a tall person. Examples are flowers and animals. The tall person type has also expanded to include a wide variety of themes. Examples include sportsmen, historical acts and acts based on literary or film characters.

One of the most recent varieties of stilt walking acts is a stilt walker riding a "stilt bicycle" with an extended seat post and handlebar stem.
With Light festivals being very popular around the world, Stilt walkers have incorporated technology in their costumes making. It is very common to see LED Robots on stilts or other light costumes at public or private events.

===Work===
[[Image:GintracLandes.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Shepherd]]s walking on stilts in the [[Landes (department)|Landes]] region of France]]Aluminium stilts are commonly used by fruit farmers in [[California]] to prune and harvest their [[peach]], [[plum]], and [[apricot]] trees. Stilts have been used for washing large windows, repairing roofs, and installing or painting high ceilings.

Stilts are used during [[drywall]] construction, finish painting, and hanging suspended ceiling tiles as means to reach high areas.

===Recreation===

Stilts are available to be purchased as a children's skill toy and stilts are commonly taught in circus skills workshops at schools and summer fairs and other events.

==Records==

In 1891 [[:fr:Sylvain Dornon|Sylvain Dornon]], a stilt-walker from the [[Landes forest|Landes]] region of France, walked from Paris to Moscow in 58 days.<ref name=sa>[s.n.] (26 September 1891). [http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13640? Stilt Walking: Sylvain Dornon, the stilt walker of Landes]. ''[https://www.google.com/books/edition/Scientific_American/aeQ5AQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA13122&printsec=frontcover Scientific American]'' Supplement (821): 13122. </ref>

On 1 October 2001 Saimaiti Yiming of China walked {{cvt|79.6|km}} on {{cvt|73|cm|adj=on}} stilts in 24 hours in Shanshan County, Xinjiang, China.<ref>{{cite web|title=Farthest distance walking on stilts in 24 hours|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/farthest-distance-walking-on-stilts-in-24-hours/|website=www.guinnessworldrecords.com|date=October 2003 |access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

On 14 September 2002 Doug Hunt of Canada walked on the heaviest stilts used. They weighed {{cvt|62.1|kg|adj=on}} for the pair. He managed 29 steps unaided on these {{cvt|15.56|m|adj=on}} stilts.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Heaviest stilts walked with|url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-stilts-walked-with|access-date=2020-12-14|website=Guinness World Records|date=14 September 2002 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

On 15 November 2006 Saimaiti Yiming of China took 10 steps on {{cvt|16.41|m|ft|adj=mid|-high}} stilts to break the Guinness World Record for walking on the tallest stilts.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tallest stilts|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/tallest-stilts/|website=www.guinnessworldrecords.com|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

In 2008 [[Roy Maloy]] of Australia took five steps on stilts {{cvt|17|m}} high, an unofficial record for the tallest stilts.<ref>[http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/news/national/australian-stiltwalker-totters-to-tallest-mark/2008/11/03/1225560680356.html Australian stilt-walker totters to tallest mark".] ''Brisbane Times''. November 3, 2008.</ref>

On 30 March 2008 [[Ashrita Furman]] of the US ran {{cvt|1|mi|km|2|order=flip}} in 7{{nbsp}}minutes 13 seconds on spring stilts in Dachau, Germany.<ref>{{cite web|title=Fastest mile on spring-loaded stilts|url=http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/fastest-mile-on-spring-loaded-stilts|website=www.guinnessworldrecords.com|access-date=28 February 2015}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="180px" heights="120px" caption="Various stilt walkers">
File:Sylvain Dornon, the stilt walker of Landes - Project Gutenberg eText 13640.jpg|alt=Sylvain Dornon. Record holding stilt walker|upright|Sylvain Dornon, record holding stilt walker
File:Sarumawashi-asakusa-tokyo-feb27-2021.webm|A trained monkey in [[Japan]] using stilts, 2021
File:LED Robots Stilt Walker.jpg|upright|LED robot stilt walker
File:A stilt walker at Shahbag , Dhaka 4.jpg|upright|Stilt walker in [[Bangladesh]]
File:Los Chancaires - Primtemps de l'arribèra 2015 (02).jpg|alt= "Chancaires" school in Saint-Pé-de-Léren (France).|upright|Stilt walkers at a school in [[France]]
File:Koninklijke steltenlopers Merchtem.jpg|upright|Stilt walking troupe
File:Parade through Macao, Latin City 2019 9.jpg|upright|Stilt performers in [[Macau]], [[China]]
File:Vietnam-0132 - Happy New Year (3343239522).jpg|upright|Stilt walking  during Tết Nguyên Đán in [[Vietnam]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*Official website of the [https://www.echasseurs.org/en stiltwalkers of Namur]
*{{wikisource-inline}}
*{{commons category-inline}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Footwear]]
[[Category:Walking]]
[[Category:Physical activity and dexterity toys]]
[[Category:Traditional toys]]