History / About
Steve Brown says the Cherry Bomb was designed after he asked Team Losi for a concave yo-yo; the company returned CAD drawings that he approved at the 1998 World Yo-Yo Contest, and he had prototypes within weeks. He reports three prototype generations before public release, with minor changes to production (Yo-Yo Museum company profile).
The Yo-Yo Museum describes the standard release as a butterfly version of the Da Bomb with an ABEC-3 bearing, one set of perimeter and center weight rings and a wooden axle for fixed-axle play. It had an adjustable string gap and starburst response, originally sold for US$18, and was released around October 1998. A limited all-black version was reportedly packed one per case.
The starbursts wore quickly in the soft ABS plastic, a problem that Steve Brown says led him to push for stronger plastic, resulting in the A-Line. The YoYo Wiki credits a prototype Silver Series Cherry Bomb with Brown’s 1999 Bay Area Classic win and his first 5A freestyle.
