These toys were introduced by either Mattel or Kenner in the 1970's. Basically, they were a racquetball sized gyroscope/top. They featured a stem that protruded from a ball and a rubber compound hemisphere that was used to get the top going. You grasped the ball, put the side of the hemisphere on the ground and moved your arm in a 1/4 turn to the left or right. This would spin the motor up and allow it to rotate and do the neat tricks that all gyroscopes can do. The Whizzers came with a trick stand and one or two accessory stems that would plug into the "top" of the toy, and let it balance on a string or the stand. Some folks remember mean little boys and girls who would get them started and put the spinning tip into the hair of anyone who stood too close. I understand it was painful, but never experienced it myself. You could spin two up and battle each other if placed in a concave lid. A neat carrying case, shaped like the Panasonic RQ-830S TNT Plunger 8-track player was available. It was made of orange plastic and opened in half, like the Hot-Wheels and Star Wars carrying cases. Visit Ebay to see the 8-track player. This carrying case opened in half and featured a battle arena inside one lid half, and top storage for six tops (I could be wrong...it's been a while) in the other half, via the hole in the upper half of the top. In the late 1990's, the tops were re-released to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the toys. The ones I found at Toys-R-Us were manufactured and marketed by Duncan, the yo-yo manufacturer. I bought as many as I could, and think my carrying case was thrown out in the 1980's. If you have one for sale, please contact me @ thorm19d@att.net. Thanks! Thor

This was my favorite toy, and yeah I remember winding it up and sticking it in peoples hair.

I was reading the article and my first thought was about my cousin sticking it in my hair, so, that last post was funny :-)

my sister had one of these tops.

My husband and I just bought our kids two for Christmas. They still make them! Got them from some yo-yo store online.

I still have my bonehead whizzer from 1970,I was 6 my son 8 plays with it

I got one of these in 1969.It's blue and lime green. Still works great. Cats play with it once I get it going.

Oh my brother and I use to have one of these back around 1970 or so. I use to love those tops!

I have two Wizzers, one black and pink and one red and yellow, originals from 1970, when I was 11 years old...good times unfortunately the pink one lost the rubber of the rotor...but I'm very proud to preserve this vintage games...

The other mean trick was to get the thing spinning as fast as you could and then stick it on an unsuspecting kid's skin (say their arm, for instance)and the heat transfer as the rubber hemisphere stopped created a momentary burning sensation.

Just found mind hidden away in some closet for the past... 20 years? Thing still works and is insanely entertaining. Now I want to get some more and try some of those tricks I'm seeing in the commercials on YouTube.