YoYo Related News From Around The World
Be still my awful little nerd heart, it’s a head-on collision of yoyos and Star Wars! Check out the latest Cabin Tutorial from CLYW, featuring a nice horizontal combo from Michael Kurti and a pretty good lightsaber fight.
Yoyo used is the CLYW Bonfire.
Today is the official release of Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens! Early reviews are positively glowing, and people have even been pretty awesome about not posting spoilers for those of us who haven’t seen it yet.
To celebrate, CLYW has dropped a Star Wars-themed Cabin Tutorial featuring Andrew Maider! Check out his trick “Cantina Grind” and enjoy!
Yoyo used is the CLYW Orca.
WHOA!
Check out this stealthy footage of CLYW team member Ernest Kahn performing at the 2015 Lucasfilm Christmas Party! What a dream gig! I have so many questions…was Luke there? If not, where is Luke? Why haven’t we seen him yet? What’s the deal with that red light flare at the beginning of the recent trailer, are we going to get a look at Ilum and is the First Order going to make a planet-sized lightsaber? What’s the deal with Kylo Ren’s Vader fetish? Is he actually a Sith Lord or just a poser? Was Darth Plagueis at the party? Is he alive? Did Han & Leia have kids? I know they did in the books, but are those canon for the movies? OMG ERNEST CALL ME NOW!!
And, since it’s that time of year, let’s all settle in for the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Yomega has finally released the Star Wars edition Glide yoyos they first showed back in February at the International Toy Fair in New York.
These special editions come in four versions: Rebel Alliance, Galactic Empire, Boba Fett, and Darth Vader. These look great in person, and I think we’re all relieved that they skipped Jar Jar Binks and Darth Maul and kept with more classic designs.
All four versions are available at Yomega.com for $130 each. A bit steep for playing with, but I’ve never seen that deter Star Wars collectors.
*UPDATED* Thanks to YoYoExpert‘s Andre Boulay for additional booth pictures! See below!
Yomega is showing off their new Star Wars license at the 2013 International Toy Fair in New York. In addition to Star Wars versions of existing models, they’re also showing “Yo-Men”, a sculpted action figure yoyo stand. We found some pictures on Takahiko Hasegawa’s Instagram feed…check out the images and Yomega’s official press release below!
YOMEGA PUTS A GALACTIC SPIN ON YO-YOS WITH INTRODUCTION OF ITS
NEW STAR WARS(TM) COLLECTIONYomega Corp. puts the power of the Force in the hands of kids and yo-yo fans with a new collection of yo-yos based on the legendary Star Wars saga. For the first time, Star Wars characters will be featured in a line of high performance yo-yos that will have yo-yoers and Star Wars fans scanning the galaxy to collect them all.
“We know that many yo-yo enthusiasts are also avid Star Wars fans,” said Todd Rywolt, Co-President of Yomega. “The Yomega team has really put a lot of passion and care into developing high performance yo-yos that would deliver upon the essence of Star Wars and appeal to both audiences.”
Details of Yomega’s Star Wars yo-yo line will be unveiled at the International Toy Fair, beginning February 10 in New York.
Star Wars Yomega® Fireball™
Yomega has merged its popular Fireball yo-yo with some of the most popular Star Wars characters, including Darth Vader and Yoda. The Star Wars Yomega Fireball patented transaxle system allows for high speed and smooth spins that are over three times longer than an ordinary yo-yo. The yo-yo’s design will feature character imagery and will include String Bling™, a collectible ring molded in a Star Wars character’s likeness. The yo-yo string attaches to the String Bling ring for added comfort while performing classic as well as advanced looping yo-yo tricks. Wave 1 of the Star Wars Yomega Fireball will include Darth Vader, Clone Trooper, Yoda and Boba Fett. (MSRP: $10.95; Recommended for ages 8 & up; Available in Fall 2013)Star Wars Yomega® Yo-Men High Performance Yo-Yos and Action Stands
Yomega’s Yo-Men are the newest, coolest way to play and display your yo-yos and favorite Star Wars characters! Yomega Yo-Men come with a Star Wars Yomega Fireball yo-yo cradled in a highly detailed Yo-Men Action Stand sculpted in the character’s likeness. The yo-yos feature a bold character image and Yomega’s patented transaxle system that allows for high speed and smooth spins. Star Wars Yo-Men Wave 1 will include Darth Vader, Clone Trooper, Yoda and General Grievous. (MSRP: $15.95; Recommended for ages 8 & up; Available in Fall 2013)Yomega® Elite Metals Glide™: Star Wars Special Edition
Yomega brings its heralded new competition-level Glide yo-yo to a new level with a sleek, sophisticated Star Wars Special Edition. This showcase piece features laser etching and is for the most discerning Star Wars and yo-yo collector and for the yo-yo player looking to make a statement. The Yomega Glide is the result of more than a year of engineering and technical refinement and is the first introduction in Yomega’s new Elite Metals collection. The Glide has been engineered for the perfect weight and dimension at 66 grams without string, 2.25 inches in diameter and a string gap of .163 inches, and features a silicone pad return system and the legendary Dif-e-Yo KonKave bearing. The Yomega Glide: Star Wars Special Edition Wave 1 will include Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Boba Fett and the Rebel Alliance and Imperial symbols. (MSRP: $149.95; Recommended for ages 8 & up; Available in Summer 2013)
Be sure to swing by their booth and pick up their show exclusive, a limited edition Yomega Brain yoyo made just for the 2013 International Toy Fair.
Yomega has (maybe?) announced that they will be releasing officially licensed Star Wars yoyos in 2013. Possibly.
UPDATE: We’ve gotten a copy of Yomega’s 2013 Wholesale Catalog and we can officially confirm that the image below IS from their catalog, but there’s no further information or images on the licensed yoyos.
This popped up on Twitter yesterday, shortly after Yomega posted a copy of their 2013 catalog on Facebook. By the time I went looking for the catalog, it had been removed…but one of Yomega’s Ambassador players grabbed this image and reposted it.
With Duncan doing so many demonstrations and promotions at Disney World in Orlando, it’s odd that the newly-acquired Star Wars license would end up with Yomega, but apparently all is fair in love, war, and yoyo licensing.
Could this be the push that Yomega needs to get back into being a major contender in the mass market yoyo industry? They’ve been making headway at Toys R Us but seem to have fallen short of reclaiming their previous industry dominance in the $10+ category at big box retailers, with Duncan scooping up the lion’s share of available peg space and even YoYoFactory beginning to make some headway.
We’ll post more details as we have them!