We picked up a fabulous line of kites when we were at the Nuremberg Toy Fair in Germany this past winter, by a company called Gunther. Gunther makes kites: it’s what they do best. Their kites fly well, stand up to a few… “rough landings”… and have fun designs.

Now, once you can master the simple diamond shape, you need to step up to stunt kites. AWESOME. Stunt kites are 2-handled kites where each handle connects to a string line that runs to either side of the kite. Because you have these two lines on either side, you can actually STEER the kite in midair, and even do tricks. With a regular kite, it takes off into the wind and flies around on its own whims; with a stunt kite, YOU control the action.

Let me tell you, there’s nothing like launching a stunt kite into a moderate wind and letting ‘er rip. You can loop the loop, twist and untwist the lines, turn and swerve through the air… and once you’re really good you can even scream the kite along at only a few feet above ground level, skimming the grass with terrific speed (remember: we are professionals… we play with toys for a living. Make sure you’re comfortable before you try this!).

There’s no better way to spend a windy Tuesday afternoon! Note to bosses: Sunday. Sunday afternoon. We were testing toys. We promise.

Check out our 3 different Gunther stunt kites here. Have fun!