People ask me why the lights on my props feel different from other LED gear. The colors on a lot of light-up toys blink in a flat, mechanical way — on, off, on, off, like a turn signal. Mine don’t, and there’s a reason: I base my blinking patterns and speeds on the golden ratio.
What is the golden ratio?
The golden ratio is a number — about 1.618 — that shows up everywhere in nature. It’s in the spiral of a seashell, the seeds of a sunflower, the proportions of a tree’s branches, even the shape of galaxies. Artists and architects have used it for centuries because shapes and rhythms built on it just look right to the human eye. We evolved surrounded by it, so we’re wired to find it pleasing.
What that means for a juggling prop
When I program a light pattern, the timing of the blinks, fades, and color changes is spaced using golden-ratio proportions instead of even, metronome-like intervals. The result is a rhythm that feels organic — more like a firefly or a heartbeat than a machine. When you’re juggling at night, the trails of light hang together in a way your eye reads as natural and beautiful, and audiences notice the difference even if they can’t say why.
It’s a small detail, and honestly it’s the kind of detail you only bother with when you make every prop yourself, by hand, and you care how it looks in the dark. I’ve been making LED props since I built the first light-up footbag in 1996, and the golden ratio has been part of my patterns ever since.
Every prop in the shop — clubs, balls, poi, rings, hoops, staffs, the fiber optic whip — runs patterns timed this way, with super bright customizable LED colors. And each one carries my guarantee: if there is a problem with your product, I will either fix it, replace it, or refund your money.
— Nick
