Trompo facts for kids

A Trompo is a fun toy that spins! It's a type of top that you make spin by wrapping a string around its body. Then, you throw it just right so it lands and spins on its pointy tip.

Sometimes, if the string is attached to a stick like a small whip, you can keep it spinning by gently tapping its side. You can also use the string to pick up a spinning trompo and move it to another surface, which is a cool trick!

What's in a Name?

These spinning toys are super popular in Latin America, which is where the name trompo comes from. But guess what? They have lots of different names all over the world!

• In Spain, they might be called trompo, peonza, perinola, or pirinola.
• In the Philippines, they're known as trumpo or turumpo.
• In Portugal, people call them pião.
• In India, they're called Bugari in some places. Kids there sometimes make them by nailing wood together and spinning them with twisted rope.
• In Japan, similar tops are called koma.
• In Germany, a spinning top you use with a whip might be called Peitschenkreisel, or even fun names like dancing top!
• In Morocco, it's called Trombia and is often made of wood and painted reddish-brown.
• In the Netherlands, it's called "priktol" or "zweeptol" (which means "whip top").

How Does a Trompo Spin?

A trompo spins steadily because of something called the gyroscopic effect. This effect helps it stay upright and balanced on its tip.

As the trompo spins, it might slowly wobble in a circular path. This wobble is called precession. It happens because of gravity pulling on the top.

Eventually, things like air pushing against it and friction (rubbing) with the ground start to slow the trompo down. When it spins slower, it starts to wobble more and more. Its pointy tip begins to trace a bigger circle on the ground. Soon, the trompo becomes completely unbalanced and falls over, rolling until it stops.

The way a trompo is designed can change how it spins. Things like how heavy it is in different parts, how much its tip rubs on the ground, and how you throw it can all make a difference!

What Does a Trompo Look Like?

Trompos have been made in many different shapes over time. Most trompos are shaped like a cone or a pear. Even with all these different designs, they all work using the same gyroscopic effect to spin.

They are usually made from strong wood like hawthorn, oak, or beech. But today, you can also find them made from tough plastics. Some very old trompos made of Clay have even been found near the Euphrates river! Tops that are spun with a whip often have a more cylinder shape, which gives a bigger surface for the whip to hit.

At the very top of a trompo, there's usually a button-shaped part. This part is generally bigger than the pointy tip it spins on.

The bottom of a trompo has a stud or spike. This tip is often made of metal. Sometimes, this tip has a special groove or a tiny roller-bearing. This helps you lift the spinning trompo with a string or whip without slowing it down too much.

Trompos can be painted with cool designs and colors. Some even have small sound devices inside, but they are usually quiet because loud ones would slow the trompo down too much.

The Philippine trumpo is a bit different because its tip is straight and very pointy, often looking like a nail stuck into a round wooden body.

How to Play with a Trompo

Playing with a trompo is all about throwing it so it spins perfectly on the floor! Because of its shape, a trompo spins around its own center, balancing on its metal tip.

To make it spin, you need a string. Here's how it usually works:

• You wrap the string tightly around the trompo, starting from the metal tip and going up towards the top.
• Then, you tie one end of the string in a knot around the button-shaped top of the trompo.
• You hold the trompo with the metal tip pointing upwards, wrapping the other end of the string around your fingers.
• The way you throw it can vary, but the goal is to release it with a flick of your wrist to give it a lot of spin!

Trompo championships are held in many Latin American countries, like Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Cuba, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico. It's a very popular game among kids there!

In Mexico, many trompos are made of plastic with a metal tip, though some are still made of wood. There's a popular game called picotazos where players try to hit and destroy their opponents' trompos. Another game involves drawing a circle on the ground, putting a coin in the middle, and trying to hit the coin with your spinning trompo.

In Puerto Rico, trompos are sometimes played like marble games. Players draw a circle on the ground and place their trompos inside. The goal is to knock other trompos out of the circle. If your trompo doesn't spin, or if it stops spinning inside the circle, it stays in the circle, and another player gets a turn. Trompos in Puerto Rico and Chile are often changed to have even sharper points!

A famous Puerto Rican comedian, José Miguel Agrelot, had a TV show called Encabulla y Vuelve y Tira. This name describes the action of wrapping the string and throwing a trompo! One of his funny characters even sponsored his own line of trompos.

The Filipino trumpo is played in a similar way, but you don't tie a knot into the tip before throwing it for the spin.

See also

• In Spanish: Trompo para niños