Extreme Myachi

by Crazy Ivan

So this morning I saw a pretty cool video from Champ.  It was all of 5 seconds long and that was with a bit of slow motion tossed in.  But it was definitely worth my time to not only watch, but to link on FB and embed here on the blog as well:



There's just something about the creativity of this move or any of the other "extreme" moves I've seen that combine Myachi with skateboarding, parkour or just jumping up really high.  But it does bring up an interesting paradox in my mind.

As you can tell from a quick glance at the history of Myachi packaging, one of the main thrusts of our advertising and one of the main ideas that inspires the Myachi movement is the fact that the game is safe.  When you compare doing a kick flip on a skateboard with doing one with a Myachi it's like the difference between playing basketball in your driveway and playing basketball on an interstate highway.

But then you've got people like Champ doing crazy (but admittedly awesome) stuff like what you see in the video above.  That kind of diminishes the whole "no broken bones, no blood" line that we've banked on for years.

Now, to his credit, Champ does not break any bones or bleed in that video.  But it's easy to see where somebody doing something like that could.  And we Myachi Masters are no better.  I've linked the video of us playing with a flaming Myachi on here before, but if you missed it, you can find it by clicking here.  Clearly there is a potential for getting burned there, even if broken bones or blood aren't a concern.

So when I see videos like the one above, I'm kind of torn.  I love seeing people do awesome stuff with Myachi and the bigger the better, so in that sense I'm all for videos like that.  But, on the other hand, I certainly never want to hear about somebody breaking their leg leaping off their porch to catch a Myachi.

Officially, of course, Myachi does not endorse "extreme Myachi".  The point of the game is to have fun, look good and stay safe.  Champ has been skating for a long time so I'm sure this isn't the most extreme stunt he's done in his life (or in the month of May, probably) and I'm sure that he's very safety conscious about what he does.  I'm sure he tried this from a couple steps up first and then pushed it a little bit at a time.

But if someone just saw that video and said "I wanna try that!" they might go out front and earn themselves a new cast and some crutches.  So when you see videos like the one above, you should really take the "Don't Try This at Home" type warnings seriously.  Sure, it's fun to make a cool video, but believe me, it's no fun to break a bone.  It's no fun to land face first on the sidewalk because you slipped on your landing.

If you want to try something crazy like that (and when it comes right down to it, Champ's stunt was only mildly crazy... he's a pretty sane dude), just be certain that you're taking all the sensible safety precautions.  Don't bite off more than you can chew and don't think just because you saw Maverick Crypto over a mailbox that you'll be able to hit that on your first try.

If you do decide to do something crazy, be sure to get it on video and share it with the Myachi community at large.  But for the sake of all the younger Maniacs who will seek to emulate you, please include the tag line of "Don't try this at home!" or at least make everyone aware of what safety precautions you've taken and what practice you have that helps you to pull off a certain stunt.

And sorry if I'm starting to sound like your grandma. 

Myachi Should be the Official Toy of Earth Day

by Crazy Ivan

So once again the time of the year has come when we all step back and take one 365th of our year to appreciate this incredibly awesome planet that we all get to share.  For better than four decades we've used this day in April to remind ourselves and one another how important it is that we not irrevocably screw up the planet.

We at Myachi love doing our part to help keep this place habitable.  In fact, we think that Myachi movement is deeply intertwined with the goals that Earth Day is all about.  So much so, in fact, that I believe Myachi should be adopted as the official toy of Earth Day.

Here it is expressed in algebraic notation.

In defense of that position, I submit the following 10 reasons:

Myachis Don't Use Batteries

Unlike the vast majority of popular toys in today's market, Myachi doesn't use batteries and thus doesn't contribute to one of the biggest sources of pollution in the world.  Batteries are often listed among the top 10 sources of pollution in the US and in many parts of the world (with less centralized power systems), the problem is even worse.  What's more, in a pinch you can actually Myachi a battery, though we wouldn't recommend it.

Myachi Encourages Outdoor Play

One of the best things about Myachi is that it can be played with in a crowded indoor environment or the wide open great outdoors (or, if you live in New York, the crowded great outdoors).  But some Myachi games like Fu, Net, Long Distance and Pong require a lot of space so players are prompted to get outside and enjoy.

It stands to reason that the more time people spend in nature, the more interested they will be in ensuring that nature sticks around a while.

Myachis are Recycled... Sort of.

Myachis tend to last for a really long time as long as they don't have any unscheduled and sudden meetings with baseball bats.  That being said, Myachis aren't generally "recycled" in the traditional sense of the term.

But Myachis aren't going to landfills either.  Because they are always made in limited edition, Myachis gain value the longer they are kept so people almost never throw them away.  If you'd like to see some Myachi "recycling" in action, click this E-Bay link and see all the used ones looking for new owners.

Myachi was Invented on Earth

Unlike many of today's high-tech games, there is no secret alien technology involved in the creation of Myachi.  As we all know, most games invented after 1946 have at least some amount of trans-planetary technology embedded in them.  Even classic games like Tiddly Winks and Chutes and Ladders probably come to us from other dimensions.  Myachi, on the other hand, was made on earth, by earthlings.  Also, 100% of our proceeds go to earth.

Myachi Uses Only Sustainable Power

While this was touched on in the battery segment above, it's worth stressing that Myachi is one of the few popular toys on the market that doesn't get plugged in, doesn't need recharged and doesn't need wound up.  The only energy needed to make Myachi work are the carbohydrates you have to consume to throw down a cool foot shred and those are 100% sustainable.

Myachis Can Help Fight Global Warming... sort of.

Climate scientists warn us of the coming consequences of global climate change and while the results will be devastating in a number of ways, one of the biggest problems we stand to face is that of massive flooding.  As ocean levels rise, low lying areas might be inundated with mega-tides.

But it stands to reason that there will also be smaller floods from smaller bodies of water.  While big sandbags will likely be employed to battle the major floods, Myachis can also be used for minor floods, such as rising puddle levels.

Proximity to Easter

While it's not always as close as it is this year, Earth Day always falls somewhere close to Easter and the Easter Bunny loves Myachi.  The reason should be obvious, but in case you didn't know, we were long ago contracted by the Easter Bunny and his affiliates to eradicate the barbaric process of using rabbit's feet as good luck charms.  Tests show Myachi to be at least as lucky as rabbit's feet and, of course, no bunnies are harmed in the making of Myachis.

Myachi Improves Physical Condition

Myachi is a muscle builder and a great cardiovascular exercise as well.  While this might not directly combat global climate change, pumping up the citizens of earth will certainly make it easier to deal with if things start getting worse.  We'll need somone to move all those sandbags around, after all.

In addition, people who are physically fit are less in need of unsustainable resources.  For example, fit people can walk to the store instead of driving or save a few batteries by getting up to change the channel.

Myachi is Sustainably Fun

Being environmentally conscious is all about focusing on sustainability.  Obviously we're always looking for sustainable resources, but sustainable fun is pretty important as well.  Consider the difference between getting into Myachi as opposed to getting into Xbox games.  Unless you really suck at video games, even a tough game is only going to keep you entertained for a couple of months at the most.  Then what do you do?  Buy another game (or beg for one).

Myachi, on the other hand, stays fun for years and years.  When you master one trick, you simply move on to another.  This saves you the trouble of continuously buying more stuff, though we do strongly encourage begging for more Myachis.

Animals LOVE Myachi

A big part of Earth Day is reminding everyone of the importance of being good stewards of our planet.  This means sharing it with all the plants, animals and bacteria that we share it with.  That being said, the ideal toy would be one that many species can enjoy together.  Thus far in my time with Myachi I've seen cats, dogs, seagulls, guinea pigs and a skunk all play with Myachi.  I've yet to see anything but a human play Gears of War.

Health Benefits of Myachi

by Crazy Ivan


It occurred to me today that I've yet to share my all time favorite Myachi story on this blog and that just struck me as odd.  There are a number of awesome stories that could compete for this title, but somehow the impact that this moment had on me seems to outshine all the others.

I'm kind of sentimental when it comes to Myachi so all my favorite stories are ones where Myachi managed to help somebody through something tough.  Whether it was Kid and I getting stuck in an airport with 4 hour delays and keeping the 400 stranded boyscouts entertained or meeting a family and making the kids smile after a really miserable day, the best Myachi memories are the ones where I leave knowing that Myachi just made a positive impact on someone's life.

The most potent example of this that I can recall came in my first summer with Myachi.  We were working a booth at Dollywood that was right in front of the entrance.  This was, of course, an ideal spot from a sales perspective.  Nobody could walk in or out of the park without seeing us and few could get passed without playing with us.

The people who worked the ticket booth told us that they also liked our placement.  When things got slow in the middle of the day, they would keep themselves entertained by watching us shred, teach kids and throw contests.  We even managed to get a few of them into the game so they kept a few Myachis in the booths so that they could play along from time to time.

Among the ticket-takers was an extremely sweet woman in her early sixties.  She loved Myachi because it reminded her of the toys she played with as a kid; no batteries, no bells and whistles, no sitting on your butt not doing anything... just good, old fashioned, get-up-and-move fun.  On her breaks she would often come over and chat with us and while her arthritis didn't allow her to play much, she was as enthusiastic as anyone when one of our customers hit a new trick.

It came as no surprise when she came over to pick up a Myachi.  She had a granddaughter who was about Myachi age and while they lived quite a ways away, she thought it would make a pretty cool gift.  And it probably would have if she'd ever given it to her.  Turns out she wound of keeping it for herself.

She told us the story a few days later.  Her physical therapist had been at her house and seen the Myachi and she did her best to explain what the game was all about.  She couldn't do much in the way of tricks, but she did show her the Cradle and the Half-Pipe.

The therapist loved it as well and told her she should play as often as she could.  As it happened, the Cradle mimicked an exercise that therapists use for people who have carpal tunnel syndrome and severe arthritis.  Her therapist suggested that she do the cradle for at least a few minutes several times a day and try to squeeze the Myachi for a few minutes each day as well.

She dutifully took to this regiment and we wished her all the luck in the world with it.  She was such a sweet person and we all knew that her arthritis made her job in to a trail in agony from time to time.  This was toward the end of our stint in Dollywood that summer so shortly after that we bid her fair well, after hooking her up with a 2nd Myachi so her granddaughter would finally get one.

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The following year we were back and Pinky and I were the first on site.  We showed up after hours one evening to set up and it turned out that it was about the same time that our favorite ticket taker was getting off of work for the day.  She greeted me with a hug and before I could even ask if she still had her Myachi she had fished it out of her pocket.

She had the Cradle down pat and even had a pretty good rhythm on her Cold Fusion.  But the most impressive thing she could do didn't use the Myachi at all.  After a year of using Myachi in conjunction with her therapy, she could close her hand in a fist.

I know that doesn't seem like much to you or I, but it had been more than four years since she could close her hands completely.  She told us that the pain had lessened incredibly since she started using her Myachi and that she'd even introduced it to several of her friends.  Her therapist had order a box from our website and was using them regularly by that point.

No, of course, anecdotal evidence doesn't equal scientific proof and there is still no actual study that shows Myachi's benefit for arthritis or physical therapy in general, but it seems reasonable to me to assume that if a therapy is fun, people will be more apt to do it regularly.  I don't know that Myachi is any better than just doing the same exercise without a Myachi, but I can tell you that the Myachi way will be more fun.

So if you're looking for a way to get your mother or grandmother into the game, be sure to pass this article along.  I warn you in advance though, be prepared in case they get really good at it.  Few blows to the ego can be as debilitating as losing to your grandma in a game of MYACH.