flatpack

44RPM – The Penny Video

June 16, 2015 By Steve Brown

44RPM has come out of the gate as easily one of the strangest and most creative new companies in the yoyo/skill toy market. The brainchild of Drew Tetz and Hank Freeman, all of their products are laser cut from a single flat piece of wood and you assemble them yourself. And they really work. It’s kinda nuts, really.

Their latest kendama release, the Penny, is a flatpack kendama that uses pennies to add extra weight, and the difference in play from their standard model kendama as the result of adding 7¢ is crazy!

Check out this video from Takeshi Kamisato, showing off what the 44RPM Penny can do in the hands of a bunch of kendama players.

44RPM Toys Launches Flatpack YoYo & Kendama

December 8, 2014 By Steve Brown

44RPM Toys, the brainchild of 2014 Trick Innovator of the Year Drew Tetz and World Champion Hank Freeman, is finally launching!

Their first two releases, a flatpack yoyo called “The Moon” and an amazing flatpack kendama, will be available Tuesday, December 9th at 8:30 PM EST, at 44RPMToys.com. The kendama retails for $25, and the yoyo retails for only $7. Flatpack toys are a pretty amazing concept…the pieces are laser cut out of a single piece of wood, and shipped flat. Then you pop them out and assemble them, like a 3D puzzle that ends up being a functional skill toy. Crazy!

Be sure to follow 44RPM on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.

Drew Tetz featured on Ponoko

December 6, 2012 By Steve Brown

Everyone’s favorite trick creator, Drew Tetz, is featured on the Ponoko website today for his amazing flatpack yoyos and kendamas!

When I asked Drew why he likes to make toys, he said that he believes design should be enjoyed. “Toys are disarming because you just want to play with them,” Drew says “and that element of play can lead to a strong bond with the object that you might not see from a more static sculpture.”

It’s great to see Drew being recognized outside of the yoyo community for his extraordinary creativity, and we really can’t wait for his flatpack yoyos and kendamas to become available. See below for a video of Drew’s flatpack kendama in action.