Contact juggler opinions on "Fushigi"

Bah! Foiled! Or maybe I'm secretly a Fushigi spy...



This http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2956834.htm

He may not be saatchi and saatchi but this ain't the first thing he's done.

the only thing about it that makes me mad is that they say its "easy" and when people get the product they are going to be extremely pissed. Does it even have any dvd with it at all? Thats ridiculous. If they tried to do it with poi I think people will realize "buttholes... this isn't gonna be easy" before they even buy the product. Tricky people.

I believe the Ad does show it as coming with a DVD. At least they don't just hand you the ball and expect it to be easy.

What’s funny if I had seen that advert before I started contact juggling I would of shied away from it. In my mind It just makes it seem cheep and tacky.

They are acrylic, with a metal core... Actually quite a cool ball IMHO. It (theoretically) stops the whole lens effect...

There's a rather long (and for a while, heated) discussion about Fushigi on .org regarding this.

My opinion is that Fushigi is a concept like Sphereplay which already exists for CJ, the Yoho toys for poi, diablo, devil-sticks, etc, or Moose with yoyos... Mass production and marketing is generally inevitable if someone thinks they can make money out of it. It's a pity the guy who saw this and decided he could make money out of it, owned a rather successful infomercial company...

Firstly let me say. Yes, the infomercial is abhorrent and an insult to Contact Jugglers.
But...
I personally feel that once the heat dies down it could be a relatively good thing...
Yes... There are going to be a heap of children who will get their Fushigi realise it's not a "Magic Gravity Ball", throw it across the room and probably kill the cat or break something...
But for the many that give up there will be a whole new demographic of younger children who are introduced to Contact Juggling from an earlier age (rather than David Bowie in skintight pants for most of our generation), and more Contact Jugglers/Circus Folk, generally isn't a bad thing...

Now in the case of things like diablo, poi, and Devil Sticks, Yoho have done their bit for the manipulation arts by introducing people who perhaps would never see these art-forms to people who might've never got an opportunity to try it out and have gone on to work up to a higher level, I myself started with Yoho Poi and Devil-sticks then got the urge to move on to better equipment, learn new moves and find the spinning/juggling community.

It's my hope that Fushigi will go the same way; like the Yoho products the ball does come with an instructional DVD teaching the basic stills and movements for CJ. From there hopefully the new group of people who pick up the Fushigi ball will practice, persevere and join us in expanding the art.

I will say that yes, it can help expand the art. But... Fushigi...? I just can't take it seriously like that. It's insulting. It skims (and scratches) the surface of what is truely a deep and difficult subject, and gives it a childish name... I can't even begin to take it seriously without lowering my ideas and standards of juggling and art. If they had sold it with different wording and an actual idea of what it is/at least referenced the art form of contact juggling that has been around longer than that company as been alive, then itd hold more credibility... But... "magic floating ball" is just insulting.

^^This is exactly my point and no one I know seems to get why it's insulting.

"Magic floating ball"? I thought thats how contact juggling worked!

I assume that this type of response is what is so insulting.

I wonder what their instructional DVD is like...

MNS: I think the issue is that the ball is sold as being magic, so people now assume it is a gimmick, rather than skill.

Precisely what the video there illustrates. Its a young girl talking about the product and yet seems to think its magic.. and if its not magic its probably strings, magic or some other kind of total gimmick.

I Don't like the "rebranding" of contact juggling or the way the title suggests its more than a clear ball. However I do see it as no different to the way poi is marketed in highstreet shops or even diabolos and yoyos

I do think that people will buy it, realise it's really hard then be amazed by people who they then see doing it. but until they do it does run the risk of peopl eseeing a contact juggler and people thinking it's a "special ball" the way round that is to go "Here you go, try my MAGIC FLOATING BALL" and drop 100 kilo's of acryllic into their hands an watch as their arms drop imagining it to be really light.


The advertising strategy used in this seems to be the way magic tricks are sold, they give you loads of hype about how it will amaze your friends and when you buy it it's a bit of paper with complex instructions and either a very simple gimmick or instructions on how to tie a simple but clever knkot in a rope. the buyer then finds it's VERY hard to do but it doesn't matter because you are unlikely to buy another anyway.

Putting "magic" in the title basically is a way around explaining how it works, so you have to buy it to find out, because everyone knows you can't advertise the secret of a magic trick or your friends will know how it works if anything it's a genius way to sell loads of balls to the unskilled, I think it's people trying to find the new "trend" from circus like the way Hoop has taken off again in recent years.

The problem is people who see someone contact juggling and now assume it is a gimmick, as opposed to skill.

I know a few contact jugglers who used to perform in central park. Now everytime they do someone comes up and shouts that its just a trick like aston said.

When Mynci showed me the ad, it was like watching contact juggling beeing raped by commercialism to the extent of me wanting to tear out my own eyes.

What a load of BALLS!

Huh huh, BALLS...

To the above poster who mentioned about how people assume it to be a "trick" or a gimmick. I have found it to be that way with almoast any non-traditional form of manipulation including contact juggling and devil sticks ((which must have some form of magnet in them). I don't like the fact of these fushigi balls save for the fact that they are bringing more attention to contact juggling however it has taken some of mystification away from the art since most people assume that it's a trick. The only positive thing to come out of this is people coming to me more openly when I walk around the streets practicing.

Eventually just like yo-yo's 10 years ago this will last a year or two and fade as people realize how much time it takes to develope skills at performing and using this medium. Until then I will just hold my breath and grimace everytime someone asks me what the "trick" is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqeqwyxF7rQ&feature=player_embedded#!

Not arguing at all, but actually advertising it as if it was a trick is different from people merely assuming it is.

No sir, I don't like it.

Two shows, both times: "Is that a fushigi ball?"

Nope, kiddo, it's just a ball. The fushigi ball, it's just a ball, too. The trick is in the skill.

They all think the silver bit in the middle is an anti-gravity thing. Silly kids!

Hmmm is it me or has no one in the UK seen that advert? I've never had anyone comment on Fushigi.

I have had teachers where I work ask me if its a magnet???

Err? These are meant to be intelligent people.

I've learned that while individually a person can be intelligent that people can be stupid, no matter who they are.

ROFL That was awesome. Nice work

Sorry if it's already been posted... I didn't feel like reading all 3 pages....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whDi2ANLjg0&feature=related

bananashigi? ohhhhhhh i get it! its so simple once you master the basics!

yea I peed a little at the bananashigi

lol same here
BANANASHIGI!! bringing a whole new meaning to 'playing with your food'
if you type in bananashigi on youtube and look at the first video theres a comment for the video that says this...

Hi,

I run the NetJuggler juggling store. I would like to be the distributor in France for this new amazing product. Do you know when I can find the importer, or the manufacturer ? I believe there is a market for this in France. Maybe you can contact me and let me know more about this product. I want to add it to my website as soon as possible... And do you think I could use your video to advertise the product ?

all i could do was laugh and think, either someone has a good sense of humor, or they are missing some chromosomes...

I think it might turn contact juggling into a yo-yo equivalent branded as fushigi

Wh oever did that rocked.