Begleri are the latest skill toy to get popular with yoyo players (sorry kendama, it was nice while it lasted), and of course that means that quite a few of us (myself included) are now spending way too much time on YouTube checking out begleri videos. Today’s digging yielded this gem from long-time skill collector Cizrek with some homemade begleri that look super fun! So check out some great tricks, and if you’re so inspired you can click here for instructions on how to make your own or click here to pick up a really nice pre-made set from the folks at Monkeyfinger.
Monkeyfinger Belgeri Team
In the last year or so, there has been a surge of interest in a skill toy called Begleri in the last year. Begleri consists of one or more beads at either end of a short string or fine chain. The toy can be flipped and twirled around the fingers to perform tricks. MonkeyfingeR was definitely where I first saw it. Now they are starting up their own Begleri team. Interested in joining up with them? Well head over to their website and hit them up by emailing them a short 30 second clip and a brief “Who am I” video.
Hey gang its time MonkeyfingeR Expanded our Minions Begleri Team. If you think you have the flipping chops to join us. Drop us a 30-second vid and tell us about yourself in an email. Head on over to mfdyoyo.com Video quality counts! Good luck!
Yomega Announces New Monkey Knuckles Toy
Yomega announced a new skill toy being added to their line during the 2015 International Toy Fair in New York City…Monkey Knuckles! Monkey Knuckles are a ball & string toy, slightly similar to AstroJax. Invented and developed by Matthew Hiebert, I remember seeing early prototypes of these during the end of my time working for Duncan, when I first met Matthew. He was still in the early stages of developing the toy and was looking for a licensing and manufacturing partner…looks like he has found one in Yomega! Monkey Knuckles will retail for $14.99, and will hit stores by April 1st, 2015.
Fun fact: I created this yoyo trick based on a Monkey Knuckles trick that Matthew taught me years ago.
44RPM Toys Launches Flatpack YoYo & Kendama
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.
CLYW Kendama!
CLYW has dropped pics of their soon-to-be-released kendama, and it’s a beauty!
I chatted with Chris Mikulin about these, and got some more information:
Our team just loves kendama so much, so I figured I would get some made with our logo on them for fun. These are your pretty standard, run-of-the-mill slick paint and beechwood kens. I don’t want to reinvent the wheel in a different skilltoy genre, I just don’t know enough about it yet. I am still learning! I do play kendama everyday ever since I got one, though. But maybe in the future we’ll play around with some fancy coatings…I would really like to collab with an existing kendama company. That would be a blast!
CLYW only had a handful of these made…no word on release date or price yet, but they’ll most likely be available direct from the CLYW store and possibly a few at YoYoExpert. A great side project from one of our favorite companies!
Zach Gormley – Kendama
Nothing going on here in the way of music or editing…just National YoYo Champion Zach Gormley banging the hell out of some ridiculous kendama tricks.
There’s been a lot of conversation about kendama lately, with plenty of yoyo players attributing it to a “fad” or the like. As someone who’s been hucking around pretty much every skill toy I could get my hands on for the past 18 years, there is a TON to be learning from experimenting with other forms of object manipulation. First you learn the basics, then you begin trying to adapt what you already know (turning yoyo tricks into kendama tricks) then you begin forcing yourself out of your comfort zone on all fronts…and THAT is where the real discoveries can be made. It’s great to see yoyo players getting excited about another skill toy…and it’s even better to see them stomping crazy tricks like these.
Sweets Kendamas – VooDama Doll
The folks over at Sweets Kendama are releasing a very small quantity of these VooDama Dolls…a handmade cross between a kendama and a voodoo doll. With the success of the Pill, I think we’re going to see a bit more experimenting from kendama manufacturers with different shapes and concepts like this. Granted the kendama is a perfect toy, refined after some 300+ years of existence….that that doesn’t mean it can’t still use a little tweaking now and again.
No word yet on release date or price, but keep an eye on the Sweets Kendamas site for more details.
David Gault – Kendama Edit #4
Kendama player David Gault shows off some remarkably clean tricks and some absolutely beautiful locations in his new kendama video. Beautiful!
The Pill by Terra Kendama Available For Pre-Order
Terra Kendama has opened a limited number of The Pill for pre-order on their website. Pre-orders will begin shipping on December 28th, and you can preorder the Natural Beechwood, Blue Beechwood, and Cherry Wood.
Kendama USA at NY Toy Fair
The folks over at Kengarden just posted this fantastic video…great tricks, good laughs, and it’s amazing how much all skill toy folks seem to get equally silly when they hang out together. Great stuff!