# Fushigi Gravity Ball **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467 "2010-12-17T03:37:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/1 "2010-12-17T03:37:23Z")
Anyone bought one of [these](https://www.fushigiball.com/default.aspx?MID=884197)? Is it all the things it’s made out to be? Is it worth the price? Is it something anyone can master in not a lot of time, or do you need to devote hours and hours every day to do even the simplest tricks? ---
**Author:** ![Tanaqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3bc359/32.png) [@Tanaqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanaqui)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/2 "2010-12-17T03:48:11Z")
My cousin likes to do magic tricks (he’s pretty good) and he something like that. It’s mildly amusing, and looks kinda cool, but I think it took him quite a lot of practice to get to that point. He is an obsessive teenage boy after all. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/3 "2010-12-17T05:49:48Z")
I’ve been looking around, and AFAICT, the Fushigi ball is – a ball. Period. From the videos it looks like there’s some special stabilizing something inside it – like a free floating gyroscope maybe – but no. It’s got an unusual construction which give it some unusual optical properties. Once site said there is an outer ball that is clear plastic, and an inner one with a mirror like surface. It has no visible seams, making it difficult to tell whether the ball is rolling or not. And though none of the sites I’ve read say so, it may be that the surface is more smooth, or maybe less adhesive, so it can be brushed against other objects, particularly other Fushigi balls, without catching. Anyway, it looks like that in some of the videos, but then again that might be totally due to the optical properties. It’s priced at $20. I bet you could do pretty much the same thing with ping pong balls for a lot less. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/4 "2010-12-17T06:30:42Z")
It’s a chromed ball encased in plastic, and that is all it is. The ‘tricks’ involve moving your hands and body around the ball. It might as well be a cue ball or an orange for all the magical properties it has. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/5 "2010-12-17T06:30:58Z")
A friend of my daughter bought one of these. She was expecting it to be really cool. She was underwhelmed. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/6 "2010-12-17T09:02:33Z")
I had no idea what Fushigi was. Thankfully the website explains: > [@](#): > > Fushigi is a brand new, dynamically designed ball used in the mysterious art of contact juggling. Gosh, that sounds _way_ less cool than the forbidden art of **no** -contact juggling … ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/7 "2010-12-17T09:40:59Z")
I’ve seen the TV ad, and it smells like a scam of some sort. Maybe not a “scam,” but a very hard sell. If I saw one in a store, I’d play with it and see, but from a TV ad? No. Joe ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 10:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/8 "2010-12-17T10:25:03Z")
_Do not taunt Fushigi ball._ ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/9 "2010-12-17T11:55:20Z")
[Video by one of the guys in the commercial.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnbh30lg9vA&feature=related) He shows what it’s like and how to use the thing. [Longer explanatory video.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqEaafFDuz0&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/10 "2010-12-17T14:10:44Z")
When I saw the commercial for this POS, it made me _YELL_ at my TV. I’m guessing the same folks who fell for “Squirmel” will buy these. I swear, I’m going to market “Gatopescado’s Gravity Shoes” that will _prevent your feet from touching the floor!_ :rolleyes: Hell, I’ll just sell “Gravity Socks”. Much higher margin! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/11 "2010-12-17T15:18:21Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > …I’m guessing the same folks who fell for “Squirmel” will buy these… I had to look that one up. OMG, it’s a miracle worm! Where do I get one, and more importantly where do I get the chick who was demonstrating it on the video? Finally, something guaranteed to make me popular. ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/12 "2010-12-17T15:50:31Z")
Hey, I had a Squirmel in third grade! It was awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/13 "2010-12-17T18:40:48Z")
It is just a very expensive ball. The skill is called “contact juggling”. There are some moves that are fairly easy, but to do an impressive show will require lots and lots of practice. There are several tutorials on youtube. Here are a couple: [Choosing the Right Contact Juggling Ball](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuFfuR5XP64) [Learn to Contact Juggle: Squeeze Up Tutorial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptCp74U-ERA&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![Shadowfyre](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfyre/32/9972_2.png) [@Shadowfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shadowfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/14 "2010-12-17T18:49:22Z")
We’re getting my 10 year old son one of these for Christmas. He’s been wanting one for a long time and we had a $20 gap to fill to match what we got for his brother. My wife and I watched some videos on youtube but I can’t link to any since I am posting from work. We found one that really described the ball. It is a shiny ball surrounded by acrylic. It has no seams or other markings, so it looks to the observer as if it is not moving as a person’s hand(s) moves around it. In fact, the juggler is just spinning it. The illusion is lost if the ball is dropped too many times on a hard surface and scuffed up. If you really want to lose hope in humanity, watch the youtube videos where customers rant that the ball isn’t really “anti-gravity”; that it falls to the ground just like any other ball. :rolleyes: As if a toy ball would be the first application of some new fangled anti-gravity device. We all know it would actually be a skateboard that would get the anti-gravity devices first. That way Micheal J. Fox can get away from the bullies. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/15 "2010-12-17T18:56:19Z")
I’ve got one. It’s a nice contact juggling ball, and priced about the same as similar models at a proshop. It’s a fun skill to learn, and since they are showing up in walgreens and the like, you can expect the price to drop on them soon. If you are interested in learning contact juggling, buy a few on sale and have fun. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/16 "2010-12-17T19:54:28Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > When I saw the commercial for this POS, it made me _YELL_ at my TV. I’m guessing the same folks who fell for “Squirmel” will buy these. > > I swear, I’m going to market “Gatopescado’s Gravity Shoes” that will _prevent your feet from touching the floor!_ :rolleyes: > > Hell, I’ll just sell “Gravity Socks”. Much higher margin! Will they shape to my feet? Because I can’t find socks that shape to my feet…I’m sick of it! SICK OF IT! ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/17 "2010-12-17T20:01:36Z")
Well, it’s a great buy if you ever want to dress up as the Goblin King for Halloween. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/18 "2010-12-17T20:16:12Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > A friend of my daughter bought one of these. She was expecting it to be really cool. She was underwhelmed. I was underwhelmed just watching the video. Is this the pet rock of the 2010s? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Mtgman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Mtgman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mtgman)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/19 "2010-12-17T20:21:50Z")
No, [this is the pet rock of 2010](http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/cubegoodies/c208/). Enjoy, Steven ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2010, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467/20 "2010-12-17T23:16:43Z")
To me, it’s a big freaking scam, and I’ll tell you why… it’s not because of the orb itself or the actual art of contact juggling, it’s because they only market it as “ **a** ” fushigi ball- that’s “ **one** ” fushigi ball. It’s deceptive marketing. In order to do anything that makes contact juggling interesting or worthwhile and of progressive technique in the first place… one needs at least three orbs (fushigi balls) or more, just like good old fashioned juggling. So what is that $60, for this POS, piecemeal!!? Also, I’d expect that to really juggle the Fu-shit-gi well, you will have to invest some serious time and effort and practice, just like anything else. So yea, to most kids it will be like those TV magic kits- they will maybe learn one or two of the simple tricks and the rest will sit unused and usually written off as two complicated or too difficult, or just not well understood, and very likely, in the case of the fushitgi- just plain, downright, boring. Magic fun ball! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fushigi-gravity-ball/564467.md?page=2)