A chatter ring (also known as a gyro ring or jitter ring) is a New Zealand toy ring of thick metal wire with several beads. The toy is used by swiping the beads to get them spinning, while keeping the ring turning.[1] Around fifty thousand rings were purchased in New Zealand at department stores, street markets and dairies in 1996,[2] and was a popular Christmas gift for children that year.[3] During this time, there were several mentions of chatter rings on both radio and television.[4]
 A boy playing with a ring | |
| Other names | Gyro Ring, Jitter ring |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Availability | 1990s–present |
| Materials | metal ring, beads |
2011 revival
editThe toys were originally popular in the 1990s, and had a revival in 2011 when Apple Activities Educational Toys hosted the Hawke's Bay Chatter Ring Reunion in Hastings.[5] Prizes were awarded in a lucky dip as well as for winners of a number of categories such as best performance, oldest verifiable ring, youngest player and oldest player.[6]
Toshiaki Sasaki, recognised as the world's number one chatter ring player, visited New Zealand for a twelve-day tour to support and promote the re-release of the rings.[7] The chatter ring has been played with by the former Mayor of Invercargill Tim Shadbolt.[8]
A new generation of chatter rings was launched[when?] by Murray Potts who described the unveiling of his newly developed and produced jitter rings as a case of "what goes around comes around". Potts had previously made them commercially, working out of Japan. He later worked with a toy maker in Taiwan to produce the new jitter rings and along with Hawaii, both New Zealand and Taiwan became the first locations to experience the toy.[9]
Chatter ring performances were included on an episode of New Zealand children's television series What Now [10] and at department store Farmers.[11]
References
edit- ^ Chatter rings: The fad that needs to die
- ^ Jitter Ring Vs. chatter ring – what is the difference? Archived April 13, 2013, at archive.today
- ^ Children talk chatter rings (subscription required)
- ^ Putting a Face to a Name: The Jitter Ring on Facebook
- ^ "Chatter Rings return to Hawke's Bay". Archived from the original on 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
- ^ Hawkes Bay Chatter Ring Reunion 2011
- ^ World No. 1 chatter ring player visiting New Zealand May 5~17 Archived February 7, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Southern film-makers shoot to success in 48-hour production
- ^ "Toy with familiar ring gets jittery makeover". Archived from the original on 2013-05-31. Retrieved 2013-03-09.
- ^ What Now - Kyle Chen's Jitter Ring tricks
- ^ Jitter Ring Demonstration