Fun Yo-Yos Are Also Ice Cream Makers That Churn Out Dessert In Minutes
By Mikelle Leow, 20 Jun 2023
In the time it takes to make instant ramen for yourself, you could also whip up dessert—and have a fun mini arm workout while you’re at it too.
But how? With a yo-yo. Yes, a yo-yo. Major Japanese toymaker Takara Tomy has debuted a two-in-one toy and portable ice cream maker that churns out frozen sweets after about three minutes of bobbing it.
The ‘Ice Da Yo-yo’, created in collaboration with Hello Kitty’s franchise Sanrio, is made up of two layers to enable the rapid cooling process.
In one container, you place ice cream ingredients like strawberries and condensed milk. The other is where you insert ice, water, and salt, which are converted into ice-cold water to freeze the contents in the other layer when the entire unit is shaken.
If it isn’t obvious already, the yo-yos each feature the face of a Sanrio character, namely Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll, or Kuromi. Clearly, the toys were made with kids in mind. Where were all these awesome contraptions when we were little?
Letting kids make their own treats is an excellent way to help them appreciate the process and, ultimately, not be so wasteful. Helping them learn about portion control? Not so much.
The yo-yo churners are an extension of the popular ice-cream-in-a-bag experiment, a time-tested activity to introduce children to science.
In essence, salt causes the temperature of ice to drop further, making it cold enough to freeze other ingredients with it.
Interestingly, as per SoraNews24, the spherical Ice Da Yo-yo is modeled after traditional Japanese-style yo-yos, which consist of water balloons tied to elastic bands.
The toy, priced at ¥2,640 (US$18.60), comes with a booklet that not only explains the science behind this ice cream-making process, but also comes with 10 recipes to inspire kids to craft their favorite flavors.
These include chocolate, which uses chocolate syrup and milk; mango, which is made from frozen mango chunks and condensed milk; cookies and cream, with cookies and milk; and an orange sherbet consisting of just orange juice.
On the same note, no-churn ice cream seems to be one of the internet’s new crazes. If you can’t get your hands on these yo-yos, rest assured you can still make a delicious frozen treat at home.
[via SoraNews24 and PR TIMES, images via various sources]