Myachi's Big Move

Finding kids at Manhattan's FAO Schwarz is easy. What typically is not so simple is finding local New York City kids—particularly tween and teen boys—at the world's most storied toy store of their own volition, in the middle of a weekday, just hanging out. When that happens, you know something's up. And that something is Myachi, “The Original Hand Sack,” from New York-based Myachi Industries.

Myachi's product itself is simple enough: an approximately 3.5-inch by 1-inch flat beanbag that players toss around and perform tricks with—much like a traditional Hacky Sack-style footbag—by using any part of their bodies except for the palms of their hands.

And now, 10 years after the first sack was stitched together using a borrowed sewing machine and an old pair of blue jeans, and preceeded by a steady stream of live events to drum up interest, Myachi's simple toy is well on its way to being an overnight sensation.

“I can't even keep track of where I'm going, between the weekly parties, the bar mitzvahs, the school assemblies…” says Steve Ochs, the Myachi hand sack's creator and principal pitch man, of the near constant personal outreach efforts he and his team of “Myachi Masters” find themselves making to the marketplace. “We do tons of stuff. This summer we have a full blown tour of all the major summer camps in the area. Suffolk Downs [the race track] in Boston is having us in for three days of kid events. GMAC has us hired for a corporate event in June.”

Ochs adds, “I've got five full time Myachi Masters now, and we're hiring more. We need more guys because we're growing by leaps and bounds.”

Or maybe they don't. Inspired by the showmanship of Ochs and his Myachi Master partners, kids have become the company's best spokespeople, actively proselytizing for new fans just like they've seen Ochs do it.

“Kids are driving [our growth]—we're just trying to harness the power of them,” Ochs says. “Who better to spread the word about your product than your consumers, and our consumers are these unbelievably amazing little kids. They've take ownership of the Myachi movement. They'll email me saying, 'Myachi Man, Myachi Man, I've told 282 kids about Myachi!' ... The 'Myachi Maniacs' take pride in spreading it around.”

Besides kids, help is on the way from another corner. At this year's Toy Fair, Myachi granted Russ Berrie exclusive rights to rep the line to the toy and gift specialty markets, a move that should rapidly grow the line's availability beyond its base in the New York metro area. “They're already doing a bang-up job,” Ochs says of Russ' efforts.

Myachi recently issued 12 new designs in series 3.0 and 3.1. Another series is expected to ship by the beginning of July, while also on the way are new lifestyle products, like collector cases and a clothing line with built-in pockets sized specifically for Myachi hand sacks. “We're trying to grow through rolling out a new product line, as well as growing with the kids' needs,” Ochs explains. “So, we'll have things like collector cases—because kids who are into Myachi don't own one, they own every one.”

There have certainly been enough Myachi sacks to collect. The line has had more than 200 designs, all produced in limited editions. One particularly sought-after design recently sold for $200 on eBay, Ochs says.

In time for back-to-school, plans call for the debut of a DVD starter set. As the fourth quarter rolls around, “we'll be putting a lot more advertising money towards television and mass media,” Ochs adds. And at this October's Fall Toy Preview, the company plans to unveil a next generation of products that extends Myachi play beyond the original hand sack.

Even its already strong presence at FAO will grow. In the works is a dedicated “Myachi Jam Zone” complete with video screens and an exclusive assortment of Myachi designs just for FAO Schwarz.

“The best is yet to come,” Ochs promises. “We've barely scratched the surface of the Myachi movement and where it's heading.”