The story of HERON

Release date: December 13th 8PM EST worldwide

(Japan time December 14th 10AM)

Price：120-125 USD

Introducing the Mk1 x yoyofriends Heron, a collaboration embodies the essence of both companies. Mk1 has been a long time partner with our parent manufacturing company, fpm. The owner/designer Mark, and some of their players like Jack are also friends with the yoyofriends players. Yoyofriends usually focuses more on competition driven yoyos and Mk1 usually focuses on more unique and fun experiences. We really think this is a perfect opportunity to work together and create something that blends the 2 styles together.

The following design story is based on the writing of Mark from Mk1. Thank you for helping us out.

Mark started the design based on the Diffraction, the first projects that Mk1 worked on with FPM in 2018. Using some of the ideas from the Diffraction, he aimed to make a mostly straightforward bimetal yoyo that is fingerspin-ready. It would have a wider stance, better lock-in and less "extra" design features for more performance.

Applying all the lessons he learned in yoyo design to date, Mark made the first draft of the yoyo. A bimetal yoyo with lock-in fingerspin capabilities. The yoyofriends player team think it is ok but the manu team had loftier ideas. They want something extra to experiment and showcase their manufacturing skills and make the yoyo more special. Mark then designed the 2nd draft with added wrap-under polycarbonate rims, pushing the steel a bit inwards, and giving the whole yoyo a bit softer appearance. Then we proceeded to the prototype phase.

In June of 2025, we got the prototypes. They were immediately a hit with everyone who tried them on both teams. The yoyo had great power, stability and fun. The fingerspin capability is also very high, especially when locked in fully. The amount of performance we got out of a fingerspin design exceeded our expectations. There were 2 versions of the prototype, one with 4.54mm gap width and one with 4.60mm gap width. We decided to go with 4.54mm for a tighter bind in contest situations.

With no notes for adjustments, we instead spent our time preparing dozens of colorway ideas. Alongside this process, we decided to name the yoyo "Heron", in reference to both the history of YoyoFriends' avian yoyos, and how finger-spinning the yoyo makes it stand tall, similar to a real-life Heron.

We hope you enjoy Heron as much as we enjoy this collaboration. We really want to thank Mark and the Mk1 team for this awesome design. Blending performance, fun and finger-spin all into one.