Play Hard‘s new Flashflight (ToyDirectory)
is no ordinary flying disc. With a pulsating red light, the Flashflight
is a disc for serious players who crave action night or day. Officially
sanctioned by Ultimate Players Association, the Flashflight is a sturdy,
water-resistant flying disc that travels equally well in a casual game or
in a serious match of Ultimate or Disc Golf. A coin-cell-sized battery powers
the heavy-duty disc for up to 120 hours, and the simple construction leaves
no exposed wires or circuit boards ($20).
Paddle Effex
Hacky Sack has been a mainstay in low-tech fun for nigh-on 20 years now,
and just when you thought no one could improve on the concept of a tiny
beanbag kicked around a circle, Captain Smiley Toys (ToyDirectory)
has created Paddle Effex ($34), a two-sided paddle allowing
one person to loft a sack from one side to the other, catching it gently
(“absorbing the sack”) and continuing the toss back and forth. Captain smiley
claims it only takes 10-15 minutes of practice to get in the groove, with
increased skill allowing for tricks such as passing the sack under your
leg, behind your back, adding kicks and stalls, paddle spins, etc. Two or
more players can take the game to far-out new levels of fun.
If you think Disc Golf is the sport of drunken frat boys, one visit to
Gotta Go, Gotta Throw’s website will change your mind. The company
stocks hundreds of discs in specialized sizes and weights (putters and drivers)
by Discraft, Innova, Millennium, Lightning, Wham-O, DGA, RDGA and Gateway
Disc Sports, as well as baskets made of galvanized or “powdercoated” metal,
disc bags and accessories of all kinds. Players can purchase individual
discs or “Value Packs” containing putters, drivers, gear bags and markers.
Current top-selling discs include the Aerobie Arrow and
Epic ($9.95 each) (ToyDirectory)
.
Diabolo
Did you know that there’s a 4,000-year-old toy that inspired the yo-yo?
Mystik Toys (ToyDirectory)
calls it Diabolo (solid colored is $23.95 and the multi-colored
version is $29.99), an hour-glass-shaped object that’s balanced on a string
between two sticks and can be made to soar in the air like a circus dog.
Handsack/Dance/Whatever Toy
And for the ultimate in low-tech play, the Myachi Handsack/Dance/Whatever
Toy ($4.95) (ToyDirectory)
can function as a distraction for nervous hands or to improve hand/eye coordination
and dexterity.
