Were you hoping the kendama invasion would be just a fad? Or that it would be safely contained? No sir, not when the mod bug bites kendama and yo-yo people alike, leading to some of the funkiest mashups on Instagram!

Apparently, kendama folks over at Kendama Custom Kreations were the first to have a shot at it, with their “Ken-Yo”, featuring a custom ken, holes on both sides of the yo-yo/tama, but with the string tied to the yo-yo, defeating some of the purpose:

Next, ninja modder and all-around awesome dude Takeshi went ahead and cut a string groove on a Duncan Komodo tama for Drew Tetz, the “Groovedama”!

Here’s Drew shredding that beauty:

Inspired by Takeshi’s work, but not quite hip enough for fixed axle, Red printed a tama hubstack, turning a perfectly fine yo-yo into a bizarre-looking contraption:

Turns out Takeshi is a mind-reader, and had turned his own hubstack from a screwdriver handle, transforming his own yo-yo into a ken!

(Obligatory Terrorgade mount tricks above in honor of Paul Escolar’s birthday!)

And finally, Takeshi — deciding he was cooler than everyone else — came up with the Blitz, an all-wooden version of his previous mod.

And kendama folks also seem to enjoy it quite a bit! (Dominic Calimquim feeling right at home below)

This is just the beginning!

Follow us all on Instagram for more awesome (and sometimes questionable) mashups!