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| Small Minds Press Stinger Scorpion - ver. 1 (glow) (filled) |
| Exhibit #4780 |
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| Type | Production |
| Shape | Specialty |
| Axle | Fixed |
| Color | Glow in the dark |
| Packaging | Bubble Carded |
| Construction | Composite |
| Response | None |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Condition | Mint |
| Date | 1995 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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The debut release of the Stinger scorpion yo-yo, handmade by Nevada W & S Corporation of Las Vegas, Nevada, likely about 1995. The Nevada W & S Corporation was the forerunner to Small Minds Press. Today, the corporation has little to no digital footprint suggesting that the company may have been a short-lived novelty toy business in the early 1990s, or a private-label brand or contract manufacturer. In all likelihood, the corporation was either dissolved long ago or renamed to Small Minds Press, explaining the lack of online records today.
Eventually, Small Minds Press released their regular, non-glow Stinger yo-yo in 1996. Unlike the regular 1996 version that had clear halves, the debut 1995 version in this exhibit had glow in the dark halves. The success of this 1995 novelty yo-yo, with a real scorpion embedded in each halve, spurred Small Minds Press to create and release other unusual versions (see below).
Believe it or not, a dead scorpion still glows under ultraviolet (UV) light. The glow comes from substances in the scorpion’s exoskeleton, specifically compounds like beta-carboline and 4-methyl-7-hydroxycoumarin, which fluoresce under UV light. These compounds remain in the exoskeleton even after death, sometimes for years, depending on environmental conditions.
So even a long-dead, dried-out scorpion can still fluoresce under a UV (black) light. The scorpion in this exhibit still fluoresces, but not substantially.
This yo-yo eventually received U.S. Design patent D382,919 for an ornamental yo-yo design. The 14 year term patent was issued to Carlton F. Calvin of 740 N Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA, 91104, on August 27, 1997.
Click Profile on the right and note the hockey puck style halves on this design. The yo-yo halves on its 1997 version 3 successor is much more refined and rounded.
In 1996, Small Minds Press debuted, over the next several years, other novelty yo-yos with unusual embedded objects like the following:
• Flowers
• Killer bees
• Scorpion in clear halves
• Scorpion in glow in the dark halves
• Seahorse
• Shark's teeth
Original retail price: $9 USD.
Of interest...
To see all glow in the dark yo-yos, yo-yo parts, and yo-yo accessories in this museum, in the left panel, click Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type glow, then click Browse.
Of interest...
To see all filled yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, select Exhibits. In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type filled, then select Browse. | |
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