If you love sticks, then you must do yourself a favor and join "Stick Nation," a kind and silly group of international stick-o-philes who have rallied around "Official Stick Reviews," the "internet's go-to for stick reviews."
Buddies Boone Hogg and Logan Jugler started Official Stick Reviews in 2023 when, just for fun, they recorded and posted a review of a stick they found. In this recent interview, Boone Hogg states that after that first video became a surprise viral hit, the stick-loving pair decided that it was their "duty" to collect and share other reviews of sticks from all over the world. In that same interview, Hogg explains that, because most of us played with sticks as children, people are drawn to stick reviews because it's a kind of nostalgia that "taps into a childhood experience." He also discusses the surprisingly controversial and passionate "modified" versus "natural" stick debate that is ever present in the stick-loving community. (For the record, I'm team whatever makes you happy!)
People email their reviews to officialstickreviews@gmail.com, and Hogg and Jugler share them on Instagram and Youtube. I spent the morning watching various stick reviews, and I'm hooked. I love seeing folks from all over the world sharing their excitement about the sticks they've found, like this lovely enchanted bird stick, this cool wizard stick, and this spectacular stick that was found in a magical forest where branches that fall to the ground turn into hobbits. I'm delighted by all of the earnest contributors – which even include some celebrities like Lin Manuel Miranda and Moby – and awestruck at the incredible range of sticks people find!
Official Stick Reviews also hosts "Stick of the Year" and "Stick of the Month" tournaments. Hogg explains that while there are "lots of metrics" by which to judge a winner, it truly comes down, in the end, to the "aura of the stick." Good luck, Stick Nation, you got this!
Go see more sticks on the Official Stick Reviews YouTube and Instagram.
Previously:
• Find out why people leave sticks instead of flowers on this grave
• Robots made from tree branches learns how to walk
• Guerrilla Grafters covertly add fruit-tree branches to ornamental trees
• Medieval cosplayers hit teen daughter with tree branches, force her to wear armor, fight stepfather
