A Showa-era retro fair staple gets a "kawaii" makeover! Long-established toy wholesaler launches new water yo-yo with heart-shaped confetti! A long-established toy wholesaler has launched a new water yo-yo with heart-shaped confetti!

Kishi’s Co., Ltd (Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, President: Noritaka Kishi), an importer and wholesaler of fair toys, balloons, and party goods since 1946, will release "Yo-Yo Balloon Glitter Heart Pink Assortment," a transparent water yo-yo with heart-shaped confetti on June 21, 2024 (Friday). The product will be on sale on Friday, June 21, 2024. The product will be available in two types: a pack of 10 for retail use, which can be enjoyed at home at fairs and by individuals, and a pack of 50 for commercial use, which can be enjoyed at festivals and small to large events.

Yo-Yo Fu-Sen Glitter Heart Pink Assortment

■Water yo-yos had a boom

It is said that the first water yo-yo in Japan was made around 1933, but around 1943, due to rubber control during World War II, production of rubber balloons, water yo-yos, and other amusement items that were very popular before the war were restricted to raw rubber. However, around 1946, the year after the end of the war, water yo-yos began to be produced again in Japan, and with the lack of entertainment for children at the time, water yo-yos sold at festivals and on the black market, and the sales of water yo-yos were so rapid that it is said that they boomed.

For a detailed history of water yo-yo, click here

https://www.kishis.co.jp/wateryoyo/

The role and mission of a long-established fair toy wholesaler

In 1946, when balloons and water yo-yos were beginning to sell like hotcakes, Kishi’s Co., Ltd (then Kishi-Gum Store) was also founded and assumed the role of a wholesaler connecting manufacturers of water yo-yos and other toys with street vendors who sold them.

At the time, the company collected information on sales from street vendors and fed it back to the manufacturers. As I repeated this process, I became a trusted presence for both the manufacturers and the street vendors. Gradually, he began to think about what kind of products he could make next that would sell well and be popular, and that would please everyone from the children who use the products to the manufacturers who make them. The spirit of the company has been carried on.

Image of Kishi’s storefront in the 1950s (Kishi-Gum Store at that time)

Preserving and passing on traditions and trying new things to meet the needs of the times

Today, the water yo-yo has become an icon of festivals with its appearance and traditional patterns, and is loved by everyone not only for its own sake but also as a motif. The recent retro boom has also brought renewed attention to the "emo" aspect of festivals. The traditional water yo-yo, which can be called a Showa-era retro toy, has evolved into a completely new water yo-yo by combining it with the confetti-filled stick balloons that have become a hit product in Kishi's balloon business, creating a boom at summer festivals in 2024.

Water yo-yo, a staple of fairgrounds

Stick balloon with confetti

Attention to detail

We wanted to use high quality water yo-yo bodies, so we asked Suzuki Latex, a production manufacturer, to supply us with their products. Then, from among many colors and patterns, we selected only those that looked particularly cute when inflated, and verified the compatibility with over 20 types of confetti, one by one. We carefully selected combinations that not only children but also women would find kawaii! We carefully selected combinations that not only children but also women would find cute! We also requested a reliable rubber product manufacturer to produce the pink-colored rubber threads, because we thought that the threads should be cute too. This is how we came to release the water yo-yo, a product that is full of our specialties.

The pink color of the rubber thread

Outline of the product

Yo-Yo Balloon Glitter Heart Pink Assortment 10-pack

Suggested Retail Price: 1,100 yen (1,000 yen without tax)

Contents: 10 yo-yo balloons with confetti, 10 pink string elastics,

　　　　　　　 10 patch clips, 1 patch stand, 1 special pump

URL ： https://ouchi-ennichi.jp/?pid=181295297

Comes in a pink package

Contents

Yo-Yo Balloons, Glitter Heart Pink Assortment, 50 pieces/pack (for business use)

Suggested Retail Price ： Open price

Contents : 50 yo-yo balloons with confetti, 50 pink string elastics,

　　　　　　　 50 patch clips, 1 patch stand

URL ： https://ouchi-ennichi.jp/?pid=181295258

Package image for business use

Image after inflating

The package includes instructions on how to make the yo-yo balloons and a 2D code with video instructions.

Comments from the developer

Sayaka Kato, Branding Manager

The unique use of colors, the pattern of the water, and the sound of the water when you dip it in your hand. I have loved water yo-yos since I was a child, because I feel that the air of Japanese festivals is filled with them. I hope that this new water yo-yo will be seen at festivals all over Japan, and that it will become a page in the history of festivals and fair games while being enjoyed by everyone.

We hope to continue to create a boom as a leading company in the fair toy industry.

Sales Locations

＜Hands (some stores)

Hands (some stores)

Scheduled to go on sale sequentially at Hands stores (Sapporo, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza, Yokohama, LaLaport Shonan Hiratsuka, Vivit Minami Funabashi, Kashiwa, Omiya, LaLaport Fujimi, Umeda, Shinsaibashi, Abeno Q's Mall, Esaka, Hiroshima, Hakata, Kagoshima) from June 22 (Sat)

Sold only in packs of 10

Loft (some stores)

From July 5 (Fri.), at Loft stores (Yotsukaido Loft, Nagareyama Loft, Shinmisato Loft, Kichijoji Loft, Kokubunji Loft, Loft Kiba, Yokohama Kohoku Loft, Yokosuka Loft, Niigata Loft, Gifu Loft, Togo Loft, Nagoya Minato Loft, Sakae Loft, Umeda Loft, Senri Bampa Loft, Kurashiki Loft, Tenjin Loft, Kokura Loft, Yokosuka Loft, Gifu Loft, Togo Loft, Nagoya Minato Loft, Sakae Loft, Umeda Loft, Senri Bampa Loft, Tenjin Loft, Kokura Loft, and Kohoku Loft) Saga Loft, Miyazaki Loft, Kagoshima Loft).

Sold only in packs of 10

Limited time offer.

Stock status may vary depending on the store.

Kishi's Party Store Nagoya

Location: 2-7-17 Nakono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-shi, Aichi 451-0042

Business hours : AM9:00-PM5:30

Closed: Saturday, Sunday and National Holidays

Parking: Yes (12 spaces)

URL ： https://www.kishis.co.jp/new.store.html

＜Online sales

Festival wholesaler Kishi Rubber Rakuten Market Store

https://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/kishi-gum/

Festival wholesaler Kishi Gomu Yahoo!

https://shopping.geocities.jp/kishi-gum/

Home fair by Kissy's

https://ouchi-ennichi.jp/

Members-only wholesale site e-wholesale

https://www.kishi-gum.jp/e-commkg/cgi-bin/ex_index.cgi

Cooperation Water yo-yo manufacturer About Suzuki Latex Co.

Suzuki Latex was born in Kameido, Tokyo in 1921 and started manufacturing yo-yo balloons in 1950. In 1982, the company succeeded in automatic production for the first time in Japan, and now they are a staple at festivals and events. The company has become the oldest yo-yo balloon manufacturer in existence and is now well known in 20 countries around the world under the name YOYO BALLOON(R). The manufacturer has absolute confidence in the quality of its products.

About ■Kishi’s Co., Ltd

Kishi's imports and wholesales holiday toys, balloons, and party goods under the corporate philosophy of "Making people happy, that's our job. We are a leading company in the industry that always challenges new things and creates a boom.

Kishi’s Co., Ltd

2-7-17 Nakono, Nishi-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 451-0042, Japan

Corporate site : https://www.kishis.co.jp

Official X ： https://twitter.com/kishisparty

Official Instagram ： https://www.instagram.com/kishis1946