A new infomercial marketing campaign in the U.S. threatens to rebrand contact juggling into…. Fushigi?
Update: If You are looking to get into Contact juggling, The best deal for an acrylic ball at the moment is an 85mm Acrylic ball from Home of Poi, you might also want to read MoM’s ball guide.
Next Monday, this promo advert for Fushigiball.com will air on North American TV on major networks like Fox, ESPN, and more. This is a well-funded business venture with a factory in China and they are aiming to turn contact juggling into the new “hackey-sack”.
Contactjuggling.org has been having mixed feeling about this ‘awesome new form of contact juggling’, as several of our forum users responded to a ‘contact jugglers needed for promotional ad‘ thread, were hired (via) for the gig and now find themselves involved in a huge marketing campaign.
Dear M.o.M readers all over the world, how do you feel about this? Does it go too far with the total rebranding, repackaging and renaming of this incredible art (that Michael Moschen is still performing!!!!) Or is this just business as usual? Perhaps a good new source for well-priced acrylics?
We want to know what you think. Leave your opinions in the comments, on the Official Fushigi facebook page, or join the discussion on contactjuggling.org
Related posts:
February 10th, 2010 at 6:06 am
The more I see this develop, the more depressing it gets. I’ve noticed he’s started using the phrase “gravity defiance” with more frequency, a tagline with which I’ve been performing for years and have just registered as my domain. I really get the impression that this dude’s out to strong-arm contact for all it’s worth, and that there’s not really anything we can do about it. I don’t think any of us are safe from this attempt to completely rebrand our art.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:09 am
That said, I’m already figuring out the response in my street show to the people who ask me whether it’s a Fushigi…
February 10th, 2010 at 6:14 am
Fushigi is the product of Zoom TV Products, a company run by John Cammarano which specialized in creating & selling products through infomercials. Products like the “Boogie Bass Talking Fish”, the “TapLight”, and the “MyPlace Laptop Table”.
A detailed article on this history of John and Zoom TV Products can be found here:
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2009/09/prweb2956834.htm
February 10th, 2010 at 6:24 am
On the other hand, there’s always the rush of new people who’ll come into the contact community with such a huge popularization of an art form… how many people were introduced to contact (or the wider world of manipulation) due to Labyrinth? More people means more innovation.
Gah, so torn… guess the future will tell.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:49 am
This video should sooooo not be on the front page. Isn’t there a read more link for a reason?
All publicity is good publicity as they say, and having this video up on here is basically aiding him.
February 10th, 2010 at 10:53 am
I agree with mcp, whats next? giving contact balls in mc donalds happy meal?
February 10th, 2010 at 11:16 am
This guy really irritates me. Can anyone read the fine print at 0:34?
February 10th, 2010 at 11:25 am
Like Richard Hartnell said – more people will try it – bigger developement of an art form, I’ve got another advantage – when people will try it, they will see that it’s extremly hard and will appreciate more all your street shows.
disadvantages are pretty obvious ( popularization of sorta elite art form, commercialization of such beautiful thing, disgraceful name of Funghi etc. etc. etc.)
I’m not decided whether to be enthusiastic or pessimistic.
Time will show here
February 10th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
bah that has a smell of sad marketing !! me don’t like…..
February 10th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
and agree with mcp
February 10th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
I think it’ s a way to get CJ known (not a good one), but people won’t know it as CJ but with a product.
Did anyone notice the scenes about first users are very short?
I can’t read all the little notes at 0:34 but I managed to decipher something like “in the art contact juggling or FUSHIGI takes practise”.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:41 pm
To be honest, I’ll be surprised if this isn’t a flop. I just can’t see it doing too well.
The price is quite competitive though, 27 dollars for a 3 inch ball with shipping. Dube’s 3 inch costs that before shipping, and Renegade’s 76mm costs $30.00 with US shipping. Does anyone have any experience with the quality of Dube/Renegade? I wonder if this will match them in quality as well.
February 10th, 2010 at 6:59 pm
Hi McP.
I’m posting this here because MoM has awesome Google power. And if there is a contact juggling marketing campaign called Fushigi that is airing on TV next week, then I think I can use MoM’s google standings and push this “Fushigi: Magic Gravity Ball” post right to the front page of the search results, perhaps even above their own website.
Quality-wise; this video doesn’t belong on our blog at all. Its not even Friday Fun.
But I think it will lead to a really confusing time for us; If the campaign is successful then we will become identified by TV watchers as Fushigi’ists? I think its important that the readers of our site know why.
February 10th, 2010 at 9:01 pm
Honestly, I’m afraid to practice out in public now. I just know that because of this bastard, people will be all “OMG I SAW THAT FUSHIGI THING ON TV WOW.”
Then again, I could use that to turn them over to what CJ’s really about.
February 11th, 2010 at 12:54 am
who watches TV anyways…
February 11th, 2010 at 6:48 am
this is hilarious and depressing at the same time. anyone have any clue where the name Fushigi came from? It’s a ridiculous name!
February 11th, 2010 at 9:49 am
Hey Ryan, good points all. Except my name has a Capital C. (
) I love your page rank guerilla tactics… Sweeeeeeet.
Awesome google power? Is that like Turtle Power?
Awesome Dude!
February 11th, 2010 at 10:06 am
this is really sad in my opinion, id rather have simple oo’s and ah’s with captivated audiences rather than people walking by saying “hey its that fushishkabab thing i saw on tv” and walking on by…sure it has its upsides but still…ugh
February 11th, 2010 at 11:08 am
wow that infomercial is just dripping with plasticized enthusiam.. Frankly it makes me want to vomit out my ears everytime I hear modern advertising of that particular style.. I guess thats why I don’t own a T.V….. To say that that commercial could use more class seems like an understatement, but I guess if your trying to market to kids that are buzzed on sugar with TV zapped attention spans thats probably not a bad way to go about it.. on the upside its Great to imagine that CJ may be gaining many new students and a wider appreciation.. too bad about the name though.. I think “mystical gryo-gravito ultra-spasmado-fantasic foot smasher ball” would have been much more marketable… plus it fits nicely on a Tshirt…
February 11th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
Well now I’m just thinking how I going to do in order that everybody on my show, notice that I will never use something like this, even when I trying full matrix.
I think this never going to give you the relax,focus or balance that I get from CJ
also the reward after learning some tricks, that make me so happy and make me love contact will disappear…
Many people will stop using it because even when the audience will be amaze he will not feel like doing something amazing as CJ and if the audience touch the ball, they will lose the feeling also.
No pain no game.
February 11th, 2010 at 4:59 pm
disgusting, even though there may be a slight increase in interest in CJ most people who drop the twenty or thirty bucks will drop the CJ in about a week or so and then make snarky comments about how they used to do that when they run into an actual performer. Once again television will destroy something I care for.
February 11th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Let’s rise up on the net and let people know You do not need to buy a FUSHIGI buy a contact juggling ball @ Neonhusky.com, Seriousjuggling.com, or renegadejuggling.com (insert your shop). tell them to go to the ministryofmanipulation.com or contactjuggling.org for Contact juggling info and be a contact juggler who supports local juggling shops who have been providing quality acrylics for years around the world! As a community united we can overcome this issue and set the record straight! do not buy a Fu-Shity!
February 11th, 2010 at 7:56 pm
The only upsides to this that I can see, are we’ll be able to have a more ready supply of acrylics (If they’re acrylics. They’re probably going to be weak polycarb balls) and people who start it will realize that it takes years to get good, and just drop it. This Fushigi thing isn’t going to go anywhere, it’ll be like that airplane poi thing I saw a few months back.
February 12th, 2010 at 1:57 am
In the first moment i was feel soooo sad and angry.
I think fushigi is another patetic and horrible example of the extreme capitalism. I clarify, i dont like the political discussions, in my opinion all the politics sistems are the same garbage by diferent interest. For me, Fushigi is like Tae bo (marcial art Mc Donalds style “in 15 minutes you will a Masssster”, for hamburguer minds) and exist another examples in anothers arts, and the Kung fu, Tai chi or Chi kung never will disapear. But obviously, is not nice the comercialization of CJ, is hooooorrible!
Fushigi = Hamburguer minds
And i think also, in our hearts our feelings never will touch for this kind of patetic world, or patetic business. We feel and know another magic world, our world…so…play play play
Sorry for my rustic english jejeje.
Hugs
February 12th, 2010 at 4:43 am
I’m pretty put off by this initially. While I wholly endorse the spread of contact juggling to as wide an audience as possible the rebranding really irks me. It reduces an art form to a trivial fad. I’m dreading the first time someone sees me practicing contact juggling and ties it to Fushigi.
February 12th, 2010 at 4:51 am
Quick question that just occurred to me: does anyone know at what hours this will be airing? This smacks of late night into early morning advertising. One can only hope.
February 12th, 2010 at 5:27 am
Definitely the capitalism makes exploit, such as Midas, but different of him, its transform in shit everything it touches. Maybe it sells the ball but, not the juggling. Contact juggling isn’t a massive product or something can be abandoned after a some attempts curious. There is art, there is work, there is the fun as part of the work.
Agree with the German and thanks for taking out the hate of my heart.
Light for all.
February 13th, 2010 at 8:20 am
Thanls all for the rage calming posts…cuz i was really annoyed until i saw some posts making my mind clear..i still think FUwatever sux and i thank god that sh*** wont be airing in my country or i would smash the tv.
February 14th, 2010 at 8:35 am
its spreading, im seeing that horrible black with white text shirt of death on youtube videos >< gaaaaaaah the infection is spreading, we'll have to sever the limb!!!
February 14th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Ceci n’est pas une contact juggling.
February 15th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
this is the opposite to how I felt after reading the back-cover/insert for In Isolation.
February 15th, 2010 at 11:59 pm
The Street Juggling blog didn’t like it… at all:
http://streetjuggling.com/fushigi/
February 16th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
The small print at 0:34 reads (as far as I can tell): “Experienced Fushigi performers. Proficiency in the art of contact juggling or Fushigi takes practice. Please ____ __ tutorial DVD for full instructions___ _______ the physics of gravity defiance and floating levitation prior to use. You must ____ years __ ____ ___ ____. Please read all disclaimers carefully before attempting any Fushigi _______ __ ___ ____ the _____ ______ and _____ ______ ___ ___ to property damage or bodily injury.”
That’s as much as I can make out and some of it’s guessed. Sorry there’re so many gaps, but it’s pretty fuzzy.
I don’t approve of Fushigi in any way, shape or form. Even if it is a flop, as Ted suggested, it’ll still leave a stain…
February 16th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
If you go on the website you can check out the safety instructions, which are hilariously paranoid: “Serious injury may occur by manoeuvring your fushigi anywhere near your head” so no head rolls then
“NEVER fushigi outdoors” Okay I’ll just practice inside
“Be sure not to hold fushigi against any part of your skin or body”…oookay I’ll just leave it in the box and gaze wistfully, imagining all the rule-breaking fun they were having in the advert.
February 16th, 2010 at 8:53 pm
I was SO put off by this commercial!
Way too plastic, and unrealistic. Let’s see how many times the people who fall for this fad of a commercial will drop the ball before they quit, saying this is not like the commercial said!
I am just starting out with CJing, but I sure as hell don’t want to be called Fushigist or whatever. It doesn’t sound right at all. Does Fushigi mean anything in English?
I’m all for people trying out CJ, but it should be for the right reasons, like seeing the magic of the Labyrinth movie, or happening across a video of Okotanpe and watching it with drop-jaw awe, just like I did.
Those bring determination and love for the craft with them.
The commercial just wants your money and gives a couple of hours of fun with the ball for kids who will then put the ball in the bottom of their toy chests for years to come.
Brinechild, thanks for the laugh, those instructions you found made me laugh so hard, yet at the same time it’s very sad when you think about it. BTW, thanks for your videos, they are already a huge help, even though I’m still waiting for my spheres in the mail ^_^
February 16th, 2010 at 9:00 pm
Sorry for the double post, but the dub “Magic Gravity Ball” made me downright angry…
Sounds exactly like “SHAM WOW, it’s like a Shammy, it’s like WOW”…. Eeeeek…
Also, the girl at 0:15… is she on her cell phone??? XD XD
February 17th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I think what bothers the CJers is that something new into the market is trying to change what has already been established so far. Please do not get me wrong, but Fushigi is just a product, an acrylic ball, not a new form of juggling. The ad refers this type of art as a new invention, and gives the impression that all this art was created and developed to support Fushigi, but the reverse as it really happens.
February 18th, 2010 at 10:31 am
fushigi.com is for sale and fushigi.org says”don’t hold your breath for content”. Someone should buy these and make them redirect to the Ministry.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I think fushigi as a marketed product poses a threat to juggling companies by taking away a potential source of their income/ slice of their market by producing a better marketed, cheaper product.
While initially this may have consumer benefits such as lower prices, I think that it would eventually lead to a situation where the consumer lost out in terms of variety as choice, as fushigi strikes me as the type of company that will max out on one or two basic products which will be produced and sold relatively cheaply, lacking the diversity of what is currently available in the (admittedly not widely recognised) juggling market.
March 6th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I just thought – how long before someone leaves one on their windowsill and burns their house down? cue 1984 style clampdown on contact juggling
March 12th, 2010 at 4:09 am
Hi I really want to know if the ball works thats all I came on this site for but it sounds so cool well thks
March 14th, 2010 at 3:26 pm
Hi Paige,
The ball is a ball. It works very well as a ball. You have to be the one to make it work as well as that, but that’s the fun of contact juggling, and the sham of fushigi….
March 26th, 2010 at 12:29 am
thats sad, but anyone remember sphereplay?, and the long drawnout threads about what contact was actualy called. way back when on contactjuggling.org. i think that apart from the guy who made the sphereplay video and a few of his friends nobody uses that word any more.
o.k. it sucks, but its only going to be as big as kiwido (which is a lame rebranding of poi)
as p.t. barnum said: “theres a sucker born every miniute” but the funny thing is that some of those suckers spend all their saving trying to get rich with some stupid idea like this.
March 26th, 2010 at 1:52 am
actualy i only just heard about this and after reading the thread on contactjuggling.org, i’m quite amazed by the whole thing. especialy the way that the people who did the comercial are whoring themselves and getting upset. and that people are being all huggy and cute to them.
i’m not realy into the online contact juggling comunity anymore, but i still look in up once in a while for nostalgia. this whole episode didn’t impress me much.
but the brazilians balancing things on their heads, now that is cool…
good reasoning ryan, make this the first result when you search fushigi on google.
May 29th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
@Gir I did see this commercial in television at 2 or 3 am in my area.
June 6th, 2010 at 11:28 am
I think the whole..”art” is completely rediculous. Fushigi or no Fushigi, it’s just dumb. Contact Juggling? Wow, think I’ll go put 2 more wheels on my motorcycle and call it 4 wheel biking. Then i’ll paint it a different color, put 3 horns on it and an apron and sell it as the Fortercycle.
I will say though, to those of you that do the contact juggling, great, it’s better that you are doing that then smoking crack or somthing. To each his own.
But Fushigi ball is just stupid and I think it’s bad business for the marketing people and the so called inventor of it to market it as if they truely invented it, which they did not.
June 9th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
For those wondering where the name comes from:
Fushigi (不思議/ふしぎ) is the Japanese word for mystery or strangeness.
(The above characters may not appear if you don’t have Japanese characters installed; it is in kanji/hiragana ordering)
While the ad was lame, this is my first time ever finding out about Contact Juggling and it sounds pretty cool. I’m going to look into it since I love tricks and dexterity and such. I dunno where to get a cheap ball for this though. :X
June 12th, 2010 at 8:50 am
when the Japanese who invented this bal got kicked in the balls, he yelled Fushigi !
June 13th, 2010 at 2:19 pm
To all the Contact Jugglers out there. I seen this commercial on TV the other night and honestly never heard anything about it before. I guess I live in a protective climate if that’s what you want to call it. I have a beautiful family and wife and work my ass off as a Trauma RN. I was amazed at first to see the acts these contact jugglers were doing and it was great. At first I thought there was some kind of motor on the inside like a gyroscope that was helping with this. Sorry to be so naïve, but was curious anyways. So what did I do but Google it first and I learned a lot from what I found out. I never trust what these commercials tell us because bottom dollar is they’re out to get rich quick. Unfortunately I didn’t realize that it was Contact Juggling because they didn’t say that on the commercial if I remembered right, but I thought it looked cool.
What these people are doing with this Fushigi Ball is actually a good way to make money by the way they are marketing, but like so many of you have said before that it gives the art a bad name and most of you are right that when you are performing in front of your audience if the folks don’t say it, then some are probably going to be thinking that “hey I seen this on TV and it looks pretty easy if you ask me”. Well we all know that it takes practice and a lot of it to make it look easy.
I went to the Renegade web site and plan on buying a Contact Juggling Ball, but I want my money to go to a company that supports the arts and not a quick rich scheme.
I do believe that it looks awesome and from a medical stand point, the stress that a ER Trauma Nurse goes through on a day to day basis can be pretty taxing and this is why I want to try this to help my mind relax plus start using muscles in my hands and arms that probably haven’t been used for 22 years since I graduated high school.
I just want you all to know that I support you true artist of Contact Juggling and only hope to be as good as many of you are. Don’t be despaired about what other people are saying or thinking. You can’t exactly change what they have seen on TV, but you can instead show these same people the true art of Contact Juggling and make sure that you are not any part of the quick rich scheme along with giving credit where credit is due. Also remember that when I first scene this on TV it was on at like 3:00am in the morning when most people, except night workers like myself, are asleep. Remember you do this for the art and not for the money. I totally support all of you Contact Jugglers and am excited to start my way to being one myself. Remember to not bring yourself down to this fake company’s level.
God Bless You All
June 22nd, 2010 at 10:38 am
OMG!! – I saw the ad for this thing the other night and immediately Bowie and the crystal from Labyrinth popped into my head – it’s one my all time favourite movies. I found this site by googling for the fushigi thing.
I recall trying the contact juggling way back when and I’d love to try it again. I’d be happy if I could just do the moves from labyrinth.
I’ve also bookmarked the renegade site – I’d prefer to not pass any $$ onto these as seen on tv types.
I’ve just watched some of the CJ videos out there – hang onto the dream if any morons do say “oh yeah saw that on the tv ad” type stuff.
Thanks again for the site and the info and try to keep that guerilla thing going = )
June 25th, 2010 at 7:31 pm
At 0:34 it says something to the effect of practicing. I think it’s a gimmick just to get your 20.00 dollars. Just think if a million people bought one just to try. He doesn’t have to refund your money. And how much is that you say?????///20 MILLION DOLLARS!!!
June 25th, 2010 at 7:34 pm
And by the way…Do what Nate does to earn good honest money..WORK YOUR ASS OFF AT A LEGITIMATE JOB to support the ones you love..Atta boy NATE.
June 26th, 2010 at 2:57 am
im sure the commercial says not to hold it close to your skin, because if you are out in the sun it could burn you. and as far as the practice part goes, if you really think about it, anything we do in life takes practice.
June 30th, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I ordered a fushigi ball, and I haven’t gotten it yet….!!
I have tried all the phone numbers I can and they are all just recordings and none let you leave a message….?
I am starting to think this is a rip off.
Can anyone give me a “real” phone number that I can actually talk to a “live person” ?
July 2nd, 2010 at 12:58 am
I am still waiting for my “Fushigi” Ball. I ordered it on the 13th of June, 2010, and it is July 1st and I still don’t have it…..!?
Who knows what company this is and how I can contact a “Live” person. !!
July 2nd, 2010 at 4:18 am
My son practices CJ (a little; poi is more his thing). He gave me a ball to fiddle with, and I learned in about a second-and-a-half that *it ain’t as easy as it looks*. I suspect Fushigi will make a lot of money for the marketing company, and then suddenly disappear…just like mood rings, pet rocks and those ridiculous collars-and-leashes-with-no-dogs-in-them. Buyers will find out that there’s no instantaneous way to duplicate the manipulations shown in the TV spots, and give it up quickly.
The rest of you will continue to soldier on.
July 5th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
Just ran into Fushugi today and have some mixed feelings too but think it will be a good thing in the long run. Yes it is coming via the cheap/dated marketing medium of the infomercial putting a well developed art on the same level as chia pets, slap chop, and the clapper… Completely destroying any air of mysticism or magic… But in the end it should spread the word a bit more and anyone who actually buys it will realize it is not just a cheap trick but an art form, and if they dive that deep they might even forget the television exists…
It would have been nicer if they attempted to shove some money/marketing within the existing contact juggling scene rather than just re-branding and attempting to undercut it completely, but I can’t imagine anyone ever being able to copyright a simple ball so we should be safe…
July 6th, 2010 at 1:06 am
well i just ordered one now and i hope that it works and that i even get one i feel bad for you natalie that you hove not got yours yet!!!
July 6th, 2010 at 9:05 am
Ok, so I am (was) not familiar at all with contact juggling, and had no idea what it was. What I did know was that Fushigi was a scam of one sort or another. So I started looking, came upon this site, started reading and checked out some of the CJ sites that have been mentioned for buying balls and read a bit about the art. Interesting, would love to see a professional performance in person, that being said I think the fushigi commercials are great commercials. Don’t get me wrong I hate them and they are annoying as heck, but they are great because they will work perfectly for their target audience, it’s gonna do what its supposed to perfectly, make a quick buck off idiots. I don’t know who can watch that commercial and think the things they are doing look easy, it looks hard as all get out to me. I can imagine breaking a lot of things, some of which include body parts trying to learn to do those moves. I love how brinechild qouted the instructions saying “never practice your fushigi indoors” are they in partnership with some large window company? I imagine a lot of windows breaking if you practiced that thing inside. I ordered a ball from renegade juggling just to check it out, it was cheap enough, a lot cheaper than fushigi. But I know I won’t be practicing that in my room, it’s all windows and fishtanks and computer monitors…
Carry on you real CJ’ers and don’t be discouraged, this stupid thing will come and go so fast it’ll leave your head spinning, and then people will have much more appreciation for the skill involved in your art.
July 6th, 2010 at 9:10 am
let me correct that, it actually wasn’t cheaper, it was the same price, the fushigi ad I saw says 29.99 + S&H, but even if it was twice as expensive and I was going to buy it, I wouldn’t buy anything that douche on those commercials is selling because i do not want to give that asshat my money.
July 7th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
ok, heres a shock of irony i find funny. so i have fushigi stories but i its not worth telling so heres the ironic question, where can i find matalic/mirror contact juggling balls? i saw the matalic fushigi one at the top of this page but, like others, i dont want to give them my money lol.
July 8th, 2010 at 2:04 am
here are some links for buying chrome/steel contact balls:
http://www.firetoys.co.uk/juggling/contact_juggling_balls.html (£10(gbp)/$16bucks per 75mm/3″ ball)
http://www.dube.com/balls/steel-juggling-balls.php
http://renegadejuggling.com in the contact balls section (although it seems to be out of stock)
https://www.firemecca.com/p-1017-steel-contact-juggling-ball.aspx
http://www.nocturnaltreasures.com/products/Chrome_73mm_Metal_Contact_Juggling_Ball-5155-226.html (only $10, might want to ask a few questions about how heavy it is…)
July 9th, 2010 at 3:28 pm
Hey Lobster, Doesn’t the ad say not to practice CJ-ing outdoors either? I can see that because of all the people that drive by, see you drop the ball and laugh thereby causing the user to send it back as it does not deliver what the commercial claims AND maybe causing some lawsuits for false advertising and mental distress!!
July 9th, 2010 at 9:24 pm
Weird. This must be the original ad because the new Fushighi stuff is a ball inside a ball. Personally I ordered my Fushigi and I waited a week. I am in Southern California – they ship from Southern California should only be a day to get here. So I called customer service and 5 people and 6 phone calls later I was told they were back ordered and they wouldn’t have to tell me that for 4 to 6 weeks as that is how long they have before they are ‘required’ to notify me. They couldn’t tell me if I was getting mine in 4 to 6 weeks as they were oversold and didn’t know. Great customer service. I canceled my order. This ad is selling just normal ordinary clear spheres. Not the ball inside a ball I saw. That to me is very interesting.
I am glad new people are being introduced to the art form as it will help grow it. Language for the art has always been interesting for me personally. I find Contact Staff the most interesting. Steve this and 1/2 Steve that. I thought it was an acronym then I found out it was a guy named Steve. I am excited to meet him someday.
Can’t wait to put Fushigi Master on a resume.
Oh and who hasn’t been told that the ball seem magical and that is seems to defy gravity. I tell people I have magnets in my body as I use a metal sphere.
July 10th, 2010 at 10:02 pm
Fushighi ad is another ploy to exploit children, capitalize on those who have practiced for years and exhibit true talent; another example of borderline criminal behavior and lack of morals whatsoever.
July 22nd, 2010 at 5:47 pm
ok…you know wats SAD…i actually like the mirror chrome inside the acrylic…>< but they dont come in my beloved 4in 100mm so screw them lol
July 23rd, 2010 at 7:45 am
I dropped mine
http://imgur.com/a2XS5.jpg
July 25th, 2010 at 3:27 pm
thats really sad to see ryan, but why were you 6 meters up and drop it lol guess it still leaves room that it’d crack from less or chip easily huh, well, now you got a cool ash tray and a smaller chrome ball
July 25th, 2010 at 4:16 pm
I think that everyone is just nervous. Nervous that a lot more people are going to be doing this, which is gonna make a lot of you look bad. Yall are scared that you aren’t gonna be the best anymore. Just my opinion.
July 25th, 2010 at 7:04 pm
I think that it may be just something like a small hype about Contact-Juggling and after one month it will be not really important for the most guys.
Seems to be comparable with yo-yo what even get a same hype in the 90′s in Germany and now – nobody see how dificult juggling yo-yo could be.
Maybe you start talking with some of these guys, because they already have got the same problems like CJ may have in the future.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:42 am
If I may add my two cents to this discussion. I’m one of those people who never heard of Contact Juggling until I saw the Fushigi commercial. I’m a part time magician and was looking for something different to add to my act and figured Fushigi may go well with what I already do (billiard ball, coin, card, and thimble manipulations). I figured the balls either had a gyroscope of some sort to make them perfectly balanced, or the commercial was misleading and it would take months to get decent. It was only $20 bucks so what the heck, may as well see what it’s all about. After 6 1/2 weeks of checking the mail and website, I finally got it this past weekend and I immediately figured out this was going to take time to learn. Fine, no biggie. Since the DVD that came with it is only 15 minutes long and doesn’t explain the tricks very well I started looking for other sources of information. Anyway, to make a long story short, I think (hope) the whole Fushigi thing will actually help the CJ community. Even if most people who buys one figures out it takes practice and puts it down, they will at least been exposed to the art and will have a greater appreciation for it and for those of you who perform. I know I do and it’s all because of Fushigi. I won’t give them any more of my money but I must thank them and their misleading commercial for sparking my interest in CJ.
July 27th, 2010 at 7:50 pm
can i get my money back i thought it was 19.99 and my total was 50$ and i only order 1
* write me back at cheyennelocklear@ymail.com
July 30th, 2010 at 6:35 pm
Some friends and I (who could not nearly be called professional contact jugglers) have been ridiculing the fushigi ads for weeks now. I learned yesterday that hundreds of children and adults are buying into the gimicky commercial when I took my acrylic to work with me. I spent the entire rest of the day informing people that the fushigi is just a brand of contact juggling ball and that it isn’t magic. Then of course I showed them some basic moves, and they learned it was going to take work and practice.
Currently I’m torn. I’d like to possibly buy one (mostly because I concede that it’s pretty), and then show people that the “art of fushigi” is really just the art of sphereplay, and is still a wonderful art nonetheless. I just wish I wouldn’t have to give money to the gimmick. Though at least that money might go to the paychecks of some of the real pros they hired.
August 4th, 2010 at 6:32 pm
Fushigi is the ONLY ball I know of that gets scratches on the inside, where they cannot be polished off.
August 14th, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Dear Gir,
It came on at like the afternoon where I am.
August 16th, 2010 at 12:53 am
i want the ball so bad
August 17th, 2010 at 6:31 am
I saw the Fishygi commercial at around 3:30 am, did some Googling and found MoM and ContactJuggling.org as a result!
I wouldn’t worry about it, Fushigi will pass like the Austrian Self-Sharpening Razorbacks and Gypsyu knives. I got my CJ stuff from House of Poi after reading the ball reviews. See? Silver lining!
Anybody who has seen “Labyrinth” has some idea about what’s going on in the film with CJ, and the public will know the difference. Millions of people have seen and loved that film. I also saw the PBS short on Michael Moschen (did I spell that right?), my initial reaction to Fushigi was “Hey, somebody’s trying to cash in the juggling featured in “Labyrinth”, that’s not going to fly, too cheesy. I wonder what else is around?”
A fine art like CJ can’t be killed by crappy ad campaigns any more than Esteban can kill guitar playing. Anybody who asks me, “Is that Fushigi?”, is going to hear, “Nevah hoid of it!, Sounds Dumb.”
Keep ‘em Flyin’!
Mike
August 21st, 2010 at 3:21 am
wow! i dont even think the circus hirs contact juglers Ithink it would more amusing watching a person with that ball get beat up
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:18 pm
Quit bitch’n it free market capitalism,brought to you by communist china.
August 27th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Let me say up front that I am not a contact juggler. I can only guess at the amount of practice and dedication it must take to wear that title. But let me say this, when I saw the ad for Fushigi my fist thought was that they were doing the thing David Bowie did in Labrynth. I did not know there was such a thing as contact juggling. The commercial got my attention and I looked for more information. Now I know it is contact juggling and I am learning it has been around for a very long time and involves much more than making balls appear to float. There is illusion, art, showmanship, and a lot of skill and practice. I have been so impressed by what I’ve learned about contact juggling. I really want to learn the art myself. I hope the commercial and the hype drives others to learn more and to appreciate contact juggling.