“In October of 2011 when Paul Dang was a young lad and fairly new to our team, we released his first signature yo-yo, the DANG. That was a long time ago. Those were the days when yoyo design started to transition away from high walls, small diameters and narrow gaps. The DANG might have been on the previous design era in that regard, but it’s still a fan favorite and different from anything else – much like Paul.
In the following 6 years Paul became the face of One Drop and evolved both as a person and yoyo player. Over a decade of throwing he developed a completely unique style and it was a really interesting process to see how his growth translated into the design of his new signature model. That experience and style is now reflected in the DANG2.
Our first impressions of a new yo-yo are influenced by aesthetics, and even though we might think about how it would feel in play, nothing compares to experiencing the first time it rolls off the string. This makes the design process tricky because every single change about the form affects the play. The two can’t be separated and the play is more about discovery then pure intention. We can’t tell you exactly what mix of looks and performance Paul was thinking about when he put forth his ideas for the DANG2, but we would imagine it happened much like his yoyoing.
When you watch Paul yo-yo it’s obvious he’s on a mission of discovery. We’ve seen him deep dive into a particularly complex mount simply to find out what’s there. He doesn’t have any specific intentions about what he might discover, but rather he digs and digs until he finds something no one else had. After that he works on dialing in the style and execution.
Designing the DANG2 was much like Paul’s digging. The first prototype is probably the most tested yoyo we ever had. He played it for months before coming up with revisions so the final form could be born. Even the second version was played for months before going into production.”
“We have been so blessed to make yo-yos for the last ten years. A big part of that blessing is the friends we have made and continue to make everyday. The story of the Parlay started ten years ago at the US National Yo-Yo Contest when we stumbled upon a bunch of rad yo-yoers from Utah after a night of frolicking in the streets. This was a different time when yo-yos were smaller, had more vibe, were just starting to be unresponsive out of the box, and we (all of us in the community) were all in the process of creating the craft of modern yo-yo design, building and playing. Much has been learned and the amazing yo-yos available today reflect this journey.
We met Aaron Day of Static Co. back then and have remained good friends. Aaron was visiting us recently and the idea of doing a collaboration came up. Of course it did because this is all about friends and yo-yoing.
There is a certain nostalgia that yo-yoers who played in the mid-2000s have for those “imperfect” yo-yos of the time. The idea that Static brought to the table was to create a yo-yo that seems and feels like it was released in that era but to add the modern touches and luxuries. The Parlay is smooth as you would expect these days. It has Side Effects if you ever feel the urge to add some freshness to it. It has everything we have learned about making yo-yos in it. But you’ll feel like you just got it at the 2007 US National Yo-Yo Contest.
Here is how Static describes their journey as a yo-yo company that has led to this release. Hopefully they will be able to parlay this collaboration into bringing more of their vision to our community.
“When we decided to make yoyos, we really didn’t know what we were doing. We mentally mashed some yoyo designs together during sessions in my garage, and sent the designs to a shop in China. They did their thing, and a few weeks later, we had a box full of yoyos.
We found that this method of manufacturing didn’t really suit us. The story of the SGNL, from the time that we signed off on the third prototype of it, to the moment that it was delivered, is a blank to us. This experience made us realize that we very much wanted to be involved in every step of the production of our yoyos going forward. We wanted a process that would allow for more input from us, more thought on our part, more effort. Something that required us to be present. In other words, we wanted to feel like we had actually given of ourselves in order to add to something that we care about.
We had planned to move production to One Drop for a few reasons: 1. They’re our homies. 2. They make the best yoyos in the world. 3. These dudes live and breathe yoyo culture. In this way, we’re on the level.
So, last summer when I visited them, I approached them about producing our next model. They countered with the proposal to collaborate on a design. We didn’t think twice about accepting.
Meet the Parlay.
Designed over a decade, executed in a day.
You might recognize some strategically placed elements from some legendary One Drop yoyos from the past (and maybe the present, for that matter) in its design. That’s probably not a mistake. The Parlay features the now signature One Drop response bump, though the area around the bump is sunken into the yoyo, effectively creating the Response Moat. This gives you the classic high wall feeling that will whip your ass into shape, but also gives you increased spin time by reducing string friction. Some players may balk at the weight of the Parlay, shipping at less than 62g with Flat Caps. Don’t go by the numbers though, man, go by the feeling. Despite its light weight, it spins for centuries, and is deceptively stable. It even has quite a bit of heft, thanks to the masterful touch of the most talented machinist in the industry.
The Parlay is a collaboration in the sincerest sense of that term. Much thought and much love, among other things, went into its design. We had such a great time teaming up with One Drop to create this yo-yo. The result is unlike anything out right now and we truly hope you will enjoy it.”“
“The Marquis was the first yo-yo Blind Box and it was awesome to see it so well received and that everyone had fun with the idea. So let’s do it again! Time to crack boxes!
This time the run will be 600 units called The Mantis, featuring a selection of solid colors, classic fades, nickel plating and titanium. They’re sealed up just like the Marquis, so you won’t have a clue what you’re going to get until you rip open that box! We have increased the odds of getting a titanium over what it was with our first Blind Box (and increased the number of them from 5 to 10). We also increased the odds of getting a non-solid color overall.
Early civilizations believed the Mantis insect had supernatural powers. We ‘re not much believers in magic, but we do think that if you spend just the right amount of time with your Mantis, that hopefully, it’ll make your yo-yoing be much more on point. The Mantis is machined out of 7075 aluminum (except for the Titanium version), and features an organic H shape profile. It’s a deceptive little bugger once you get your hands all over it.
The Mantis is always going to be on the hunt for its next prey and there’s only one person that’s going to help it get there, YOU! Go find that bug net hiding back there, these Mantis aren’t going to be lingering around for long!
*Titanium Mantis is redesigned to share the same specs and profile as it’s counterpart. It features a more opened cup and takes our 19mm Flow Groove.”
“In 1985, Lamborghini released a limited version of the Countach. This special edition included a few changes to the body to account for the redesigned and upgraded engine, the addition of four valves per cylinder-quattrovalvole in Italian, gave birth to its name the “Countach 5000 Quattrovalvole” or “5000 QV” for short. We took inspiration from this and made changes with the approval of Sonny Patrick, designer of the original Küntosh and created the Küntosh 5000QV.
From afar, the changes aren’t as noticeable without the trained eye of a previous Küntosh rider. There’s a subtle groove driving along the rim as it meets up with the profile of the catch zone. It’s a little more spacious around the floor of the cup surrounding the Side Effect area. More importantly, the Küntosh 5000QV features a 7075 aluminum alloy body. It’s a more dense and heavy alloy than the 6061 aluminum used on the original. The resulting weight of the redesign is lighter on the scales, but this number doesn’t really mean much by itself on this screen you’re looking at. During play, you’ll find the that the 5000QV has more of commanding spin than its older brother. Your handling will improve only if you spend the time to practice. Taking those sharp corners will be a breeze in no time; accelerate at a moments notice. And when you finally have it parked after hours of burning rubber, admire it’s beauty and run your hands across the bead blasted finish.
The soul of the original Küntosh still resonates within the 5000QV, it’s just going to have a little more horsepower.
First run features Desert Drifter, Racing Red, Streaking Silver and Burnout Blue. There will be 40 of every colorway released with no reruns for all runs.”
“We are proud to be expanding our amazing partnership with independent game studio Re-Logic once again by bringing another yo-yo from the game of Terraria into reality: The Kraken.
As the name suggests, the Kraken is monstrous. Equipped with a beefy body and 60mm diameter, the Kraken is our largest yo-yo to date. With it’s 1/200 drop rate in the game, only a handful of players all over the world can say they’ve tamed the beast. Be on your A-Game, because the Kraken demands constant control and finesse. If you fumble a bit during play, it’ll come biting. Don’t fret though, pick yourself up and go at it again. No one said it was going to be easy. You could call it an “H” shape but the transitions are so soft and bulbous that it kind of defies a label like this. Just because it’s a beast, doesn’t mean it’s going to feel like a rock during play; strangely, almost magically, it feels agile and light.
In Terraria, the Kraken has “infinite spin”. We honestly didn’t think it’d be fair to other yo-yo companies to apply the “infinite spin” modifier to the real life Kraken, so we gave it just enough spin for you to pull off your favorite tricks.
While the virtual Kraken can only be found in a post-Plantera dungeon, the real world Kraken will be relatively easy to track down and in many of the colorways you’ve all come to love on the Terrarian, as well as a handful of new ones!
Hidden away from the world for far too long, we think it’s time to finally release the Kraken!”
