We got this for my son for his 6th birthday, and he loves this toy.  Having the base on it helped him to learn how to jump without it being too difficult.  At first, he could do maybe 2-4 jumps in a row.  He was already asking to take off the base.  I told him that when he could do 20 jumps in a row, we'd take off the base.  Well, after 2 weeks, he mastered 20 jumps in a row, so my son got his wish.  To my surprise, he can now jump on his pogo stick without the base.  My son is very energetic so this is excellent for having an outlet for his excess energy. :)