Don’t worry, I’m not rambling on and on about quality and originality for no reason. The introduction actually brings me to my point and to one of the coolest new summer pastimes to have blossomed over our sunny Philippine shores in quite a while. Characterized by bright colors, long flowing ribbons, and sometimes tails of flame I’m talking about Zips, the innovative and fun new toy created and brought to us by Planet Zips.
Still relatively new here, I came across my first pair of Zips last New Year’s in Boracay and have, since then, become quite a fan of these fun little beach toys. For those still unfamiliar with this innovative new pastime, Zips are an entertaining new beach toy patterned after the Maori weapon called a "poi", which basically means ball on a cord. The poi was used many years ago by the indigenous Maori people of New Zealand to increase their flexibility and the strength in their hands and arms as well as improving coordination needed during battle. The female dancers perform the Maori Poi, a rhythmic dance performed with balls attached to flax strings.
Using the basic structure of the poi, Zips employs the same principles by attaching long, flowing, colorful ribbons to the end of a string. They come in pairs, one for each hand, so when the user swings them around skillfully, they appear very beautiful and highly attractive, especially on the beach on a clear day. The Zipper appears to be surrounded by colorful flowy circles in a graceful moving pattern. And not only that, at night, another type of Zips – called fire zips – can be used for an even more astounding performance. The fire zips are an awesome sight. Instead of ribbons, fire is used on the end of the strings and the more skillful and experienced zippers can fire dance or fire spin for a spectacular light show!
Needless to say, I was hooked when I first tried them and I wanted to learn a little bit more about Zips and Planet Zips, the company responsible for bringing them to our shores. Planet Zips was founded by eternal beach lovers Ana Villalon and Cat Juan who first brought the Zips to the Philippines. What began as a pastime for them (while waiting for waves in Siargao and La Union) soon became quite an addiction which spread among their friends and other surfers giving birth to the innovative company they run today. In retrospect, it was actually a natural evolution as both seasoned traveler Ana and gorgeous bohemian model Cat brought their zipping skills to another level by training and practicing abroad (Ana with a professional teacher in the Mexican Caribbean and Cat with a teacher in Ibiza). Even other members of the planet such as beach-lover and columnist Tals Diaz and lovely DJ/model Christina Bartges first learned the basics of zipping in other countries such as Sydney, Ibiza, Mexico, and South Africa. Planet Zips is a veritable melting pot of knowledge and even the other members of the dynamic group, such as cool surfer Paulino Servado, Text Tube host Paolo Soler, architect-by-day-man-on-fire-by-night Monch delos Reyes, and writer and Brown Belly entrepreneur Kage Gozun maintain a high skill level and are continuously learning new tricks to pass on to their students. So, even though Planet Zips is all about fun, they still remain a group of highly skilled and trained professionals and performers and are, by far, the best zippers in the country.
This again, brings me to my initial point. As of late, what has become a favorite pastime of mine on sandy shores has fallen victim to the McBo, pearl shake, and DVD syndrome that is quite rampant here in the Philippines – the copycat. While I was pretty sure it might happen I was still saddened when it did. Basically some customers who bought a pair of Zips from Planet Zips were later discovered to have made hundreds of pairs (basically fake Zips!) to sell on their own. Even using the word "Zips" to market and sell their copies they’re essentially selling the pirated version of the toy. A certain gym chain has actually even been promoting themselves when, in fact, they’re not even using the real products and their instructors are not qualified instructors.
It was really disheartening when I found out about it because I know how truly devoted and talented the members of Planet Zips are and I believe everyone interested in trying out this fun little invention should go with the real deal. After all, it’s not just about the product and being able to swing the toy around. Planet Zips maintains quality and the utmost service and openness to all their customers. This innovative company isn’t just about making bucks, it’s about spreading the good vibes of sun, sand, and sea that is imbibed by all of their members. With Planet Zips, you’re not only guaranteed quality products, you’re assured of professionally trained instructors, guaranteed repair (if necessary), and a continuously growing training program that ensures heightened skill levels you won’t find anywhere else! Indeed, more than anything, that’s what separates Planet Zips from all the other "fake Zips" companies out there, their skill level is far superior and their training program ensures quality and safe education, such as not allowing students to fire zip until their level of expertise is established. (They can also recommend some awesome tunes to zip to as well!)
So this summer if you’re looking for a fun, exciting, and original way to pass the time, entertain your friends, and get a pretty good workout, check out zipping. Trust me, it’s like Pringles – once you start you just can’t stop! But, a word of wisdom – accept no imitations! If you do want to try this funky new pastime be sure to go with the real deal and contact Planet Zips! As the sun begins to shine brighter, it’s the best time to (excuse the pun) "zip it good" and the planet is enjoying their toy all over the Philippines in festivals in Palawan, Iloilo, Boracay and even the city to promote that excellent beachy feeling. Expect to see more beautiful swirling colors by the shorelines this summer to enhance the natural beauty of our wonderful islands. Try it out! You can be sure to catch Planet Zippers (the family is constantly growing) to be heating up the shores of all our awesome beaches this summer. How do you spot one? Easy, other than their incredible skill, they’ll proudly tell you they’re from the planet!