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Romania: How did kendama get so big there?

Discussion in 'The Sesh' started by Emil Apostol, Feb 26, 2018.

  1. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

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    Jan 4, 2017
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    Philippines
    Could someone explain to me how Kendama got so big in Romania? It's insane how so many Romanian kids are kendama players; hell, there are more members of the Romanian Kendama facebook group than there are on FKC.

    I know Oase is playing a big role, but I doubt one guy could accomplish such a massive feat. Does anyone have the whole story?
     
    Feb 26, 2018
  2. xplodit

    xplodit Slayer

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    Good question. I’ve wondered this myself.
     
    Feb 27, 2018
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  3. Andy Dama

    Andy Dama Honed Member

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    Milwaukee WI
    Exactly, Oase is defenitley in there, but I'm thinking mainly sweets (the company) had a big role in making a scene
     
    Feb 27, 2018
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  4. James Hoang

    James Hoang Slayer

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    I think the interest spread from just a few kids who got interested with what Oase was doing in public with a kendama. Eventually the news probably spread to their friends, and then the friends of their friends, and so on. That's pretty much how almost every new toy trend starts: One person starts it all, and the rest follow due to interest.
     
    Feb 27, 2018
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  5. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

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    Probably so. Sweets Kendamas Romania was the first kendama team established by a US company outside of the US as far as I can recall, so I can see the impact that Sweets has had on the Romania scene.
     
    Feb 27, 2018
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  6. Emil Apostol

    Emil Apostol DS Legend

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    It may be just me, but the Romania scene seems a lot more stable than scenes in the US (e.g. Hawaii), so I think it may be more than just a fad. Then again, Hawaii a few years ago was just like Romania is now, and the Hawaii scene is super small nowadays, so I may have just arrived at the height of the fad.
     
    Feb 27, 2018
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  7. Jasper B.

    Jasper B. Slayer

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    Yeah. I am from California, and at least in the southern area, it was huge for like 6 months, and it died down to only the dedicated players. I am proud to be one of them. I feel like in Romania it will be a fad too, but some players will keep going. It is impossible to keep EVERYONE hooked on a single toy, because people get older, and may reach new hobbies. The longer the fad lasts, the more people it will leave as the dedicated players, but the people only playing because everyone else is will soon stop playing, then their friends will follow, until there are either the more experienced players, dedicated players, or just the ones who don't want to let their money they spent on 100 kendamas to go to waste will continue playing, and will eventually branch out to different parts of the world as adults, and cause whole new trends eleswhere. Likeliness is, they will also become the next generation of pros, team members, etc for sticking with the game for so long.

    Recap of the kendama circle of life:
    1: Somebody introduces kendama
    2: Their friends play kendama
    3: More friends play kendama
    4: Soon enough the whole area knows what a kendama is
    5: More and more competitions
    6: Kids are going through grades, finding new hobbies, adults are busy
    7: Some people stop playing and move on
    8: Their friends follow the path to the dark side
    9: Enough people have stopped that it is odd to keep playing kendama, so more people quit quicker and quicker
    10: A few people are left, who haven't quit based on skill, dedication, and budget
    11: New friendships form from the people who still play
    12: Those friendships are broken when one is in farther contact
    13: Some players keep playing kendama
    14: They grow older, and move to a new school, out of school, or move away depending on circumstances
    15: A new trend starts after the one player who keeps slaying kendama, but it isn't as big as before
    16: A very few select players have still been playing for years, and are now older teens/adults
    17: They either stay in the same place, or move out
    18: The long lasting slayers are now inspirations on social media.
    19: The players start a new trend as older players, and inspire the young ones to play
    20: Now younger players have started playing again, and the whole cycle repeats itself!
     
    Feb 27, 2018
  8. Aaron Gallegos

    Aaron Gallegos Slayer

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    Wow that's actually pretty accurate for how detailed it is!

    Romanian kids right now are getting as excited about it as we were in the US when it blew back in 2014, but the game in general has progressed to include tricks we thought were impossible when it was really popular in the US. It's a chain reaction of people that get hooked; combine that with the inspiration they are getting from the insane edits and instagram tricks and you see part of the reason it got so popular there.
    Also, I think that kids in Romania are more likely to choose kendama over video games than kids in the US since it's more affordable, accessible, and once again, popular.
    Finally, companies like Sweets, Krom, and KUSA have an even larger impact online and in person than they did back then. A lot of kendama's growth in Romania has do do with their knowledge of and access to kendamas.
    Unfortunately I started kendama last year while it had already died down in my area, and no one is really willing to play because they see it as a trend from 4 years ago rather than something you can actually enjoy. I also can't get my friends into kendama because they're too busy playing overwatch n fortnite and whatnot. But that's fine because enjoy it and there are plenty of other people out there who do too.
     
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2018
    Feb 27, 2018
  9. ttocsic

    ttocsic Slayer

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    levels 1-4 were accurate for my school, but then everyone quit and I'm the only one left:(
     
    Feb 28, 2018
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  10. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

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    Oct 12, 2016
    Location:
    Santa Cruz, CA
    Honestly, I think Oase had a lot to do with it. He's like an actual celebrity over there, who just so happens to play kendama. He was in a Pepsi ad (I think it was Pepsi? I can't remember, like 85% sure Pepsi ad) playing kendama. I think that's what started it, or at least that's when I realized that Oase was really starting to get things going for kendama in Romania. Kids want to emulate their favorite celebrity/whoever they look up to, so they get into kendama.

    That's how kind of why Sweets is killing over in Romania. The Primes are cheap, grippy as hell, and are the brand that Oase plays/has access to.

    Honestly, I can't believe it's still going, there are some crazy players over there
     
    Mar 1, 2018
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  11. poncho151

    poncho151 Honed Member

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    Oct 23, 2017
    Location:
    Upstate NY
    Sweets also did a big tour with some of there well known members along with oase and his crew. There's a Vlog of it on YouTube. As well as actually launching a sweets Romania web store. They really took that market and ran with it. I wonder if an actual Romanian company had popped up similar to kendama Isr in Israel if it would have blown up so quick? Probably would have needed a legend like oase who's been playing for a long time attached to it though.
     
    Mar 1, 2018
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  12. poncho151

    poncho151 Honed Member

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    Oct 23, 2017
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    Upstate NY
    Its like a lot of things that become trendy. I grew up skateboarding and it's the same thing for every new age group that discover it. People initially do it because it's cool, fun or popular and out of that come the ones who have true passion for whatever "it" is. They are the ones who pass it along and progress it with long term dedication and love for it. If I keep going ill just be making a long winded version of the list lol. I've seen it with so many things but no matter what it is you can find something like DownSpike for any niche thing. The size and scale of it is the only difference. A quick example of something from my youth was Pogs. It blew up and everyone had them but now a lot of people probably don't even know what they are. But now more than ever with the Internet and social media I guarantee there's a community of people just as dedicated to it as people in this community!
     
    Last edited: Mar 1, 2018
    Mar 1, 2018
  13. iamkapoi

    iamkapoi n00b

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    Wow, does anybody have a link to that ad? And could anyone explain how Oase became so popular/got a celebrity status in Romania? Im really curious about this.
     
    Last edited: Mar 3, 2018
    Mar 2, 2018
    Jasper B. likes this.
  14. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

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    Oct 14, 2016
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    Metro Manila, Philippines
  15. Nick Lectura

    Nick Lectura Moderator Staff Member

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    Santa Cruz, CA
    I'm guessing he got popular through the commercial?? They don't have a lot of stuff over there in Romania, like kids will take a picture with a kendama pro and tape it on their wall and grind for hours on kendama
     
    Mar 4, 2018
  16. Dariush

    Dariush Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2017
    Im from romania it got popular cause of 2 kendama players, 1kendama player you know Oase,60% of kendama players in romania want to be like him earn money from playing kendama and going to the kwc .The rest 40% are playing kendama for fun.And now the first kendama player that i first seen playing kendama was a romanian singer CRBL ,he is a old friend of oase.The story is that 4 or 3 years ago Oase and crbl were practing dance and oase came one day at crbl showing him kendama.And after 2 years it was 2014 when oase came from kwc when he placed 20 in world he came back in romania and started hosting contest with depozitul kendama also known sweets kendama romania.2016 2 years have passed,2016 november kendama became popular when it got on the news,this is all thanks to CRBL and Oase.I hope i got everything clear hope you understand my english.And my last kendama contest was rko (romania kendama open) there were 467 or more i was the 423
     
    Mar 7, 2018
  17. Dariush

    Dariush Member

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    Dec 16, 2017
    We got ALOT.
     
    Mar 7, 2018
  18. Dariush

    Dariush Member

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    Dec 16, 2017
    Shukar kendama was first.
     
    Mar 7, 2018
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  19. goenKendama

    goenKendama Administrator Staff Member

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    Oct 14, 2016
    Location:
    Metro Manila, Philippines
    Their site is down are they still in business?
     
    Mar 7, 2018
  20. ttocsic

    ttocsic Slayer

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    @Dariush just for clarification, is the language you guys speak (that I see all of over youtube comments:p), is it called Romanian? or something else...
     
    Mar 7, 2018