First, let’s go back to the beginning. Table tennis was invented by the Victorians of England in the late 19th century. It rained a lot in Great Britain back then, for most of the year it seemed, and so their favourite past times of lawn tennis could only achieve momentary enjoyment. Table tennis was invented as the indoor alternative - day or night, raining or not. Granted, it was mainly for the middle and upper classes, perhaps reflected in the language used to describe table tennis as “a parlour game”.


(Indoor) table tennis rose in popularity, spread out across the world and then went full circle, to the chagrin of tennis, and ventured back outdoors. This happened first in China from the mid 20th century, and then shortly after in Eastern and Central Europe. In China, the modern day powerhouse of the sport, concrete and stone outdoor table tennis tables began POPPing up in schools, parks and public squares from the 1950s. This fostered and enabled casual (and competitive) and free to play table tennis for all members of society. These tables remain a fixture of outdoor community life, as much as tai chi, across the country to this day.

Back in Europe, after World War II, countries including Hungary, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, started installing concrete tables in city parks, housing estates and schools. Similarly to the societal adoption of outdoor table tennis in China, these countries embedded outdoor table tennis into their daily life. As the co-founder of POPP once noted - “playing outdoor table tennis is a social routine in Berlin - it’s habitual and healthy and it becomes clear that it is part of the foundation of a strong and connected community”. (A European summer in Friedrichshain, Berlin was where the idea behind POPP first sprung.)


Outdoor table tennis has stood the test of time, but for the New Wave of ping pong playing societies - some design and innovation was long overdue and appreciated. In this day and age, tables needn’t look like they’re from the middle of the twentieth century, or be made out of concrete! Fortunately, in 2009, POPP took a design-led approach in developing its range of outdoor table tennis tables. The HERO, ICON, HEROair and now MONO outdoor table tennis tables have all helped reinvent how outdoor table tennis is seen and played across the world. Innovative, iconic and multi-faceted, the tables integrate public art, good design principles, improved playability and sustainability, through an intentional focus on circular economy. Even AI agrees - referring to POPP as a “leading brand” that have helped “complement urban and landscape design schemes, transforming the humble ping pong table into a genuine feature”.


(Before you wonder, no - this article was not written by AI. We’re not there yet - we still prefer to come up with our own ideas and write them up with our own mistakes and grammatical quirks!

The newest members of the team - the HEROair and MONO - have taken the biggest strides in innovation. Both of these tables utilise marine grade aluminium (or aluminum - depending on where you come from), innovative design features, robotic welding, flat-pack deliveries and simple, seamless assemblies. Oh, and did we mention the boldness of our colours, customisation options and table designs? We’ll leave that to the pictures.




Today, we have the Old Firm and the New Wave of ping pong playing societies. For the Old Firm, outdoor table tennis is as popular as pick-up basketball a skatepark or Tai Chi. For the fresh faces of Australia, the United States and the Middle East, it is fast-becoming a feature and a complement to existing and new “social, active play” spaces. With an agnostic approach to age or gender, an affinity to design-led spaces, and health outcomes that stretch far and wide in a society dominated by smart phones, it’s as if outdoor table tennis was designed for the now.