DESCENDANT

As I recall, my first encounter with a yo-yo was with a yo-yo mascot in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. It was an official Olympic item, and I have fond memories of an overseas yo-yo champion coming to Shibuya and putting on a demonstration.

DESCENDANT has a character called “Kid Bearing,” and yo-yos also use bearings to spin, so we thought it would be interesting to combine the two, which led to this release. Today, Hiroyuki Suzuki (back right in the photo below), who was the yo-yo world champion (2004-2006, 2012), and Go Matsuura (back left in the below photo), who was also a world champion in (2008, 2010-2014) helped us create the product, came to visit.

What made you get into yo-yos? I started when I was in the third grade of elementary school. At the time all my classmates were doing it, and Hawaiian surfers were playing with yo-yos while waiting for waves, which I thought was cool. (Suzuki)

When I was in the first grade of elementary school, I happened to see a world champion's tricks on TV and was fascinated by them, so I bought one right away and got started. When I got home from school, I would watch DVDs and practice. I would practice all the time. (Matsuura)

What fascinates you to keep playing for so long? I enjoy the feeling of completing each trick one by one. There are competitions at clubs that are fun to perform along with music. Now, I make yo-yos myself, and I was involved in the design of this yo-yo that we made together. By putting weight on the outer circumference of the yo-yo, centrifugal force is applied, which makes it spin longer. (Suzuki)

It’s fun to learn new tricks and to create new ones. Many tricks that don’t have names yet. There are some tricks that you try 100 times before you finally get it right. (Matsuura)

Also, when I’m making coffee, I often do it while waiting for the water to boil. (Laugh) (Suzuki)

Indeed, I do it while watching TV, standing and playing all the time. (Matsuura)Besides being a sport, are yo-yos themselves collectibles?They are like vintage clothes in some ways. Whenever I go to America, I can’t help but check out old toy store. (Suzuki)

I’ve heard that they become popular every time the Olympics comes around. (Matsuura)

Why do you choose to use analog toys like these instead of video games? The feel and texture when you hold it in your hand is nice. In that sense, the dice we made together also feel good to touch, so once you start playing, you want to keep going. Unlike America, Japan didn't have a culture of children playing with dice, but I hope that people will start playing with them casually, like playing cards or Jenga. (Suzuki)

Dice is not a very popular game in Japan, so I think it’s cool to know how to play it. It’s fun once you understand the rules. It may be a little daunting at first to start playing, but it’s a game that has a lot to do with luck rather than technique, so it’s good to be able to enjoy it casually. For a simple example, I think it would be really fun to learn the game “Give and Take.” (Suzuki) I was surprised that dice games were very popular at an event held at my daughter’s school. It’s nice to play dice games with the whole family.

Tetsu Nishiyama

KEEP ROLLING 57mm Classic Yo-Yo TYPE-X and REPDIGIT 16mm DICE SET will be available at DESCENDANT stockists from Thursday, 3/13.

KEEP ROLLING 57mm Classic Yo-Yo TYPE-X COLOR: GLOW IN THE DARKPRICE: 3,850YEN (Tax Inc.)

REPDIGIT 16mm DICE SET COLOR: TEALPRICE: 6,050YEN (Tax Inc.)

Hiroyuki Suzuki

Hiroyuki Suzuki | Born in Aichi, in 1989. For his performance at the world championship, m-flo/Taku Takahashi produced the song “YoYoDrumstep.” He assisted in the composition and direction of the yo-yo scene in the music video for Swedish EDM DJ/producer Otto Knows’ song “Next To Me.” He has appeared as a guest on television, in newspapers, in magazines, and at events worldwide. His brand, FRESHTHINGS®, collaborates with various brands and companies to develop joint projects. He's also designed many yo-yos specialized for competition, which are supported by world champions and others around the world.

Major titles:
4x World Champion
7x Asian Champion
2x Guinness World Record

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