What do y’all think sweets is gonna release? I've seen a lot of rumors about a new paint and I could see that being the case. That said, I also wonder about them offering their damas at a major retail chain like Target or possibly moving manufacturing somewhere. What do you think? EDIT: It looks like Sweets Kendamas will now be available in all Target locations in the United States! How do you think this will change the scene? Are you excited about this?
If it was new paint, maybe they’ve perfected their phase 1 clear from a while back? They were super sticky like a honed in Pro Clear but it was super inconsistent on when it wanted to stick and not stick.
Doubtfuls (my opinion based on their statement) New shapes and/or new paint and/or collabs (with most kendama companies) They’ve been trying to do whatever this is for years, so I would say at least since 2015/2016 and they’ve already introduced a few new products meeting those criteria (Primes, Next Gen, Sumo, Cushion Clear, Phase 1). They already have collabs previously with Krom and KUSA so doubt that it has anything to do with them, at least in the sense of putting out new, base line setups (as opposed to premium damas like Next Gen Craft collabs which would be dope) It is either something to further kendama as a whole or their company itself such as exposure for kendama (MKO getting broadcasted this year for example), selling their products in big name retail shops (i.e. Walmart or Target), getting a JKA approved Sweets kendama (not like the anniversary collab previously), maybe something to do with the Kendama Institute and their school program.
What about Dan certifications outside of Japan? I want to say Sweets was talking about something similar to this a while back..
This is absolutely wild. I basically ran to the nearest target on my lunch break but they're not there yet. I know of a couple other locations I'm going to check out tonight though. This could be huge. My biggest hope is that people will pick these up at Target and have a better first experience than they could with something like a Toysmith or random plastic dama from Amazon. Until now, you kind of had to search out a good quality dama experience but now it's going to be available for pretty much anyone in the USA to impulse purchase. This will introduce thousands more people in the United States to kendama in the next few months. This has the potential to have a HUGE impact on the scene.
I’m honestly very excited! But it’s unfortunate that only those 3 are available at target. (They are still super sick damas) Hopefully more of their damas will be available at Target or other big stores!
it's a pretty big move! first time good kendamas are available to a WIDE variety of people. I found out about it through friends that played, but now there are going to be people who can say they found it on a shelf at Target. pretty crazy!
I think these three will have to sell like crazy for more to become available. Matt Sweets just said on stream that basically what happened here is that they were able to make a case to target that it would be a good business decision to replace the Duncan damas they already had on their shelves with Sweets. So to Target, nothing has really changed. For them to offer more kendamas I would assume that the product they have now will need to fly off the shelves and do so consistently through the Christmas season.
What effect do you see this having on the smaller companies? I feel like this is going to be a pretty obviously huge boost for companies like KUSA and KROM as well as Sweets but I wonder if this will have a noticeable effect on GT, Terra, and other companies focusing more on small batch damas with really high quality standards.
Wow this is awesome. I first got a Duncan from a closing TRU back in April.. saw the Duncan’s recently at Target now too. Was hoping I could find something locally that had good Kendamas. But have been limited to online sales from the Name companys(Krom kendamausa Sweets GT Sol etc) an outdoors store(Deluth trading) had one prime radar I remembered seeing but when I went back for it they had sold it. And said it was one of the only ones they received.. Sweets hitting target shelves is a good way to spread this awesome toy!
Personally, I think it will be great for everyone. You have to figure this is a base model. Some players will only stick with that their whole time, but true enthusiasts will always look for the pricer and more personal brands like GT, Terra, and smaller hand painters / woodburners. If even 1% of the new players who buy a kendama from Target become lifetime fans, that will increase the community by potentially thousands, meaning more business for everyone who truly cares about kendama. Again, IMO
Yeah it is nice that people who who find a kendama at target and it's a sweets will probably be more hyped on dama because they are playing a decent dama rather than the crap you see at most retail locations.
Man this announcement got me super hyped! And at the exact same time that my parents will be going to the States as well! Gonna cop all three of these beauties, for sure!
The first contest is the: TARGET KENDAMA SELFIE CONTEST This is your chance to win a free Sweets Kendama How to participate: 1. Go to your local @target 2. Find where our Kendamas are sold in the store and take a selfie where you find it (with the kendama in the picture) 3. Upload he photo to your feed using these hashtags: #SweetsKendamas #Target #TargetKendama 4. Tag 3 friends you know who shop at Target in your post. 5. We will select a winner each week and repost their selfie - only one entry per person ( per week ) - We will select a winner weekly Oct-Dec 2018 * For USA participants only * No purchase necessary, you do not need to buy the kendama to enter the contest.