Spinning tops are one of the oldest toys ever discovered. Archeologists have unearthed spinning tops in every continent showing the worlds intrigue and interest around the concept. Clay tops found in Iraq have been dated back to 3500BC, nearly 6000 years ago. A carved wooden top was even discovered in King Tut's tomb.

​

Spinning tops were first used as amusement, but they also evolved into prophecy and gambling objects. They’ve been used as gifts to honor gods and also been regarded as items to carry into the afterlife.

​

In China during the 17th century, people would fill spiral sea shells with sand and seal them with hot wax.

A string wrapped around the it would be pulled to spin the shell at high speeds.

These shells were known as Bai. Eventually they were made from lead or cast metal.

​

They would later make their way to Japan and become known as Beigoma.​

Beigoma players use 60cm long strings to spin them onto a playing surface made by stretching a canvas sheet over a bucket. The winner would be the player whose top spins the longest or is able to knock the opponent's top out of the play area. Players would modify their tops to accommodate different play styles such as filing them to change the shape of the top, adding materials (like wax or lead) to change the distribution of weight and fine tuning by sanding imperfections caused by the casting process. It is said that when spun correctly a Beigoma will make a humming noise. As of 2001 there is only one factory in Japan still producing the Beigoma.

​

Fast forward a few years later we saw the introduction of Beyblade, the modern day version of Beigoma.

 

In 1999 the first line of Beyblades were released in Japan. Bakuten Shoot Beyblade, known widely as the "plastic generation", introduced a large variety of customizable spinning tops accompanied

by a manga series.

​

2001 saw the release of the animated series worldwide alongside newer tops

with a more advanced system sparking a global phenomenon. 

​

Beyblade would go on to have multiple generations with tournaments and championships

held all around the world.

 

In 2008 Metal Fight Beyblade was released, they featured a new metal system that were more competitive, hit harder and spun longer. Many variations of styles, gimmicks and gameplays would follow.

​

In 2016 Beyblade Burst made it's debut, they were lightweight, mostly plastic tops that featured a gimmick where they could burst apart when hit several times. Many players around the would saw this as a downgrade and the hobby saw little interest outside of Asia with some markets not receiving them at all. 

​

Then in 2023, the fourth generation, Beyblade X was introduced. This version of the top took inspiration from the previous generations. They were back to being mostly metal and now had geared parts capable of interaction with the stadium like never before. This extremely fast paced and hard hitting system has piqued the interest of players new and old. 

​

​