Trendy Toy Helps Teens Unplug

The latest gadget demanding teens’ attention in Hickory Flat and Holly Springs is so distracting that one high school has banned it.

That’s probably not a surprise to anyone who has tried to talk to a preteen or teen in an electronic era in which Tamagotchis have given way to iPhones and Gameboys have been replaced by Nintendo DS and portable DVD players. Go to a restaurant and you can watch babies play with iPads while their parents enjoy a meal.

But the gadget mesmerizing local youths doesn’t plug in, and you don’t have to log on. Kendamas, the traditional Japanese toy, have made their way into hands of Cherokee County kids.

Basically, a kendama is a glammed-up version of the ball-and-string toy that your grandparents probably played with. There are three cups on the handle and a post. The billiard-ball-sized wooden ball has a hole that fits on the post on the handle.

You’re supposed to swing the ball and land it in one of the cups or on the post.

Cherokee County youths’ obsession with the low-tech toy grows even as the Consumer Electronics Association reports declining consumer confidence in technology spending as well as in the overall economy. It also comes as Japanese electronics giant Sony, maker of such popular youth-focused products as the PlayStation 3, is struggling to stem losses and missing earnings forecasts.

But local kids aren’t turning to kendamas as a cheap way to have fun in a tough economy. Kendamas can run you anywhere from $20 to $115.

They are available at only a few places in Cherokee County. Sports teams and other vendors set up only on the weekends to sell the toys.

Ball Ground Pharmacy is a rare exception in Cherokee, offering kendamas throughout the week. Pharmacy owners said they sell four to six a day.

Jorden Kirkland, 15, a sophomore obsessed with kendamas, said that collecting different types and colors is a big deal. Some people have kendamas to match various outfits. Others prefer the pro-model kendama with an oval ball instead of a round one.

It takes about a month of practicing to get all the tricks down, Jorden said. The toys are thought to improve eye-hand coordination, but Jorden, a soccer player, said he hasn’t noticed a difference.

The toys have become so popular that Principal Bob Eddy had to ban them from the high school last week. They’re still allowed at Sequoyah, although students say you have to be smart about when and where you play with them.

Jorden said his fascination with kendamas started 10 months ago when he saw one at a friend's house.

“I can’t really express why I like them,” he said. “It’s just really addicting.”

This article is part of Dispatches, a Patch series exploring the local effects of trends affecting life in the 21st century.