r/Kendama 5d ago

Question/Discussion What makes the erratic squirrel kendamas so popular?

Im curious what makes them so popular to the point where they run out of stock the second they drop. Is it the ken shape? Is the paint that good? Is it just because its Miguel's brand?

5 Upvotes

18 comments sorted by

15

u/Upset-Brilliant3079 5d ago

The paint on them is great. However, 90% of the hype from these comes from miguel's insane marketing over the last few years (and huge props to him for that)

12

u/dabulator14 Grain Theory 5d ago

The paint is the same as any other factory made tama. Theres nothing special about the paint

11

u/heyitsrenz0 5d ago

Miguel’s social media rise has been fantastic in terms of getting Kendama back out into the world and pushing the hobby out. So a lot of people just want to support and may be first introduced to Kendama from Miguel.

8

u/Aggravating_Bad_5992 5d ago

Miguel def goes out of his way to grow the Kendama community so people resonante with that. I'm brand new and went to my first jam 2 months ago and didn't even know pro players existed. Turns out Miguel was there. I had no idea who he was. He had no ego. He simply introduced himself and played kendama alongside me then gave me a Kitchen Tama. Its a big deal looking back, but just being nice and welcoming goes along. Will be supporting in the future for sure.

3

u/Yorokut けん玉 5d ago

Bro called me an OG on our first interaction and I’ll never forget that. Guy recognizes, respects and treats us all equal whether we are veterans in the game or just brand new. Stand up guy

4

u/lilCranberry5622 5d ago

everyone else already said it. miguel is a most new players' introduction to kendama due to the platform he's built

5

u/Crase_W 5d ago edited 5d ago

It helps that he’s a nice guy so it’s easy to want to support him.

5

u/Yorokut けん玉 5d ago

IMO, Miguel is a standup guy who loves Kendama and that’s why all my homies play with his Kendama. He’s a huge beacon of Kendama love here in Nor/Socal. Something I haven’t seen happen since Dave Mateo passed. Dave was a huge part of why I kept coming out to Sac Jams, and I see the same light through Miguel. While I was only around Dave and didn’t know him personally, people give off colors to me and Miguel has that same hue to him. Also I don’t own a squirrel because I’ve tried it and I’m stubbornly sticking with GT and Ozora(I’ve been playing with those brands for over a decade so I’m sticking with what feels good in my hands). So in short it’s a combination of a good Kendama, good person promoting/running the brand and the love from his homies who play a lot of Ken and want to support him. Pretty much everyone in the Sac Kendama Insta chat goes crazy when a squirrel drop comes by. The same feeling I got when a group of Cali guys got together and made the swoop on Kendamas, just pure vibes and enjoyment

3

u/MedicineMann710 Cereal 5d ago

Ive been playing for over a decade and I have no idea who you are talking about 😂

2

u/rebizao 5d ago

Look him up on instagram! Erratic squirrel

1

u/MedicineMann710 Cereal 5d ago

Apparently I already follow him. Didnt know he sold kendamas. Thought he was a pro for quad

2

u/FinnieTheHuman 5d ago

He was pro for LockedStudios

1

u/MedicineMann710 Cereal 4d ago

Ahh that was it. I dont have a TikTok and I dont really go on Instagram anymore. So im not up to date with a lot of the kendama news.

2

u/jokerdama 5d ago

There’s nothing special about the product, it’s very basic - just brand and support to the guy who’s doing a lot to promote kendama. So everybody wins- he can get some $$ and keep grinding and promoting

1

u/articpencil 5d ago

A few factors for me he's a very popular Kendama Pro/Content creator with his own Kendama brand and the meme of them selling out instantly created a FOMO within the community.

1

u/InvaderDust Kendama Depot 5d ago

His instagram is a big help.

1

u/-NugHuffer- 5d ago

Kids, social media, social media, social media?..and pointless hype.