Just what are those kids doing? You've seen them on the street, in the supermarket, a friend's home, maybe even your own kid is doing it. Gyro-Rings just
keep on spinning"It" is a clanging Gyro-Ring. More than 1 million sold last year in New Zealand and Australia; 12,000 sold on Maui alone.
Each 91/2-to 11-inch metal ring holds five smaller discs. Once you strike up the smaller discs, then begin turning the ring slowly toward you, the discs perform like gyroscopic tops, spinning around the large ring at up to 1,000 rpms.
The challenge is to keep all the discs spinning while performing tricks.
The colorful beginner model is the Gyro-Ring, $13.95. But there are competition models as well: the Chatter-Ring, Turbo-Ring, the rare Zinger-Ring, $19.95, and Pro-Ring, $21.95. The Pro-Ring comes in a variety of colors: gold, silver, copper, blue and black.
Here's how you do it: Hold the metal ring in either hand. Using the other hand with palm open, strike the discs with a sharp upward or downward movement to get them spinning. Then quickly use both hands to smoothly rotate the large metal ring toward you. The discs should continue to spin as long as you rotate the large ring.
Special Gyro-Ring maneuvers include Roller Coaster, Climb the Ladder and Over the Falls.
Gyro-Rings are distributed in Hawaii by SMP Enterprises Inc., 487-1129. They are available at Kite Fantasy, Liberty House, Ben Franklin Crafts, Wonder Joy Toys at Aloha Marketplace, the Hobby Company and other stores.
By Tim Ryan, Star-Bulletin