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| Tomy Screw Ball Mini Limited Edition |
| Exhibit #2493 |
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| Type | Special Release |
| Shape | Standard (-) |
| Axle | Transaxle - Plastic |
| Packaging | Bubble Carded |
| Construction | Multi-piece plastic |
| Response | Starburst |
| Diameter | 38 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Condition | Mint in Package |
| Date | 1998 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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This edition of the Screw Ball Mini is very hard to find; it was not for sale. Instead, it was made available as a free special limited edition yo-yo to promote the trendy Monthly Famitsu Bros. video gaming magazine in Japan. Odd-numbered issues of the game magazine's covers featured Famitsu's costumed mascot, Necky the Fox. Also, year-end and special editions of the magazine featured Necky dressed as popular video game characters. Necky the fox was created by the Japanese manga artist Susumu Matsushita. The mascot's name was selected based on a poll of the magazine's readers. Shown on one side of this yo-yo is the likeness of Necky. The opposite side features the following English text:
"Monthly Famitsu Bros. - Famitsu x Special Limited Edition - Made in Japan - N P D - 1998 Tomy - L - Screw Ball Mini".
Unlike its full-size sibling from 1997--the Screw Ball--the mini is only 38 mm diameter. It also did not include a built-in automatic clutch. It used a transaxle system for sleepers.
The original Screw Ball Mini yo-yo was designed by Takahiko Hasegawa (also known as Taka) of Japan. During prototyping in 1998, Taka tested mini yo-yos with diameters of 34 mm, 36 mm, 38 mm, 40 mm, and 42 mm. After extensive testing, he concluded that the optimal minimum diameter that a yo-yo could have--while maintaining acceptable playability and performance--was 38 mm (+/-1 mm). He worked with Japanese toy manufacturer Tomy to make the original Screw Ball Mini a reality. Besides the Screw Ball Mini, Taka has also collaborated with Kentaro Kimura on Turning Point's Tarasqus undersized yo-yo, and worked with YoYoFactory on some of their undersized yo-yo projects. In November, 2016, Taka introduced an exciting new mini yo-yo brand called 66%.
To see all mini yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, click Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type mini, then click Browse. | |
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