It’s a Friday morning at FAO Schwarz, and despite row upon row of shiny new toys, most of the visitors are centered around an octagon in the middle of the store, where a slim young man with a ponytail is tossing around a small, rectangular beanbag-like object. Though tossing isn’t really the right word. The sack, propelled by his hands, cavorts through the air, twists under his legs, pops up behind his head, and magically revolves around his torso, before resting, once again, on the back of his hand. Two guys on other sides of the octagon are performing equally amazing feats.
“That’s the mojo right there,” one of them says as he tosses the sack to a grinning 8-year-old boy with outstretched hands, back sides up, because this is Myachi, the game where anything goes—except you can’t use your palms.
Called “the evolution of the hacky sack” by its creator, Steven Ochs, Myachi is one of the latest trends to sweep through the consciousness of 8- to 12-year-olds across the country. And it looks like it’s more than just a fad.
“We have loyal, diehard followers that are out there”, says Ochs. “And you know when that 8-year-old kid is passionate about something, it consumes their whole life.” But Ochs says that parents love Myachi too because “they see their kids and they’re moving, they’re rocking, they’re rolling, they’re exercising.”
Myachi was born in 1998 via Ochs’ sewing machine—he conceived of the idea years earlier, basing it on a popular drinking game with a lighter. Though many of its principles remain the same— without using the palms of your hands, throw the object while executing impossible-looking contortions and manage to catch it again—its purpose has shifted from besting college-age drinking buddies to bringing kids together.
As Ochs and his business partner, Jason Loeffler, are quick to point out, Myachi has such appeal because its tricks can be learned quickly, improvised upon, and taught to others with relative ease. “If a kid couldn’t do a cradle-cradle-full-fusion-360, none of this would work,” says Ochs.
When Ochs graduated from college, he told his parents, “‘Hey, I want to make this toy.” Their response: “Get a real job.’” He worked as a stockbroker for a couple of years, but soon “left the business to become ‘Myachi Man.’” He bought a Winnebago, painted it and started traveling around the country going to concerts, festivals and colleges. At one of the festivals he met Loeffler, who said he could help market Myachi. “I got on the Myachi-mobile and never left,” says Loeffler, now known as ‘Kid Myachi.’ At another festival, they introduced Myachi to two guys “juggling and skill-toying,” and six years later, ‘Crazy Ivan’ and ‘Pinky’ are now also permanent fixtures of the Myachi Masters, as they call themselves.
The Masters consider themselves role models for their fans—known as Maniacs in the Myachi lexicon—and much like the ancient martial art from which Myachi is descended (and where its name originates), there are lessons to be learned from the game.
The five “fingers” of Myachi are discipline, respect, self-confidence, patience and passion. But the most important part of the game? “That’s your self-confidence,” Loeffler says.
Parents may love the lessons taught by the Masters, but kids love the game. Besides playing on their own or with friends (the Myachi sacks cost $7 and are available at FAO Schwarz and myachi.com), kids can also have the Myachi Masters perform at their birthday party, Bar Mitzvah, or other special event.
Ochs and his team also have plans to introduce Myachi paddles, gloves, card games and even to launch a Wii video game.
But, in the meantime, both the Myachi Men and their Maniacs are focused on simply sharing their passion for the game with others.
The valediction Ochs includes at the bottom of his Myachi emails has become their battle cry: Spread The Word And Keep On Jamming (STWA- KOJing). “We’re not rock stars. We’re not jock stars. We’re toy stars,” says Ochs. Though, in the end, it’s the fans who are the biggest stars of all. Adds Ochs, “Their energy, their passion for it is just amazing.”
