BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Kan Jam has become a popular game around the world, but did you know it was invented here in Western New York?
"Like chicken wings being invented in Buffalo, New York, Kan Jam is a big part of that too," said the game's creator Charlie Sciandra.
Last year Kan Jam was bought by Buffalo Games, an innovative toy company based in Buffalo. Now that the game has returned to its hometown roots, I decided to meet Sciandra at his Western New York home and challenge him in his own game.
"The fun thing is that after a series of transitions, it's back in Buffalo," said Nagendra Raina, CEO and President of Buffalo Games. "Today Kan Jam is sold over at Dick’s Sporting Goods, Walmart, Target, on Amazon you name it's become a game Americans just love."
The multi-million dollar idea started with a game called "Garbage Can Frisbee" that Sciandra used to play with friends at parks in North Tonawanda. It involved metal garbage cans.
"We’d get together, maybe a dozen guys or so, and we’d play all day long," explained Sciandra. "Then I got together with a friend of mine at the time, Paul Swisher, and together him and I decided we're going to put together a patent."
At the time Sciandra was in his early thirties and a manager at Dunlop Tires. Sciandra and Swisher got to work, creating the rules, and the design patent.
However, their patent kept getting rejected because there were similarities found to the classic game of Tiddlywinks.
"So I created an instant win slot, and once I created an instant win slot that's when we got the patent approved," said Sciandra. "Everyone was telling me 'You’ll never make it, this is too hard.'"
However, Sciandra never gave up and was encouraged by support from his wife.
"We knew it was an addicting game," said Sciandra.
He knew he couldn't sell Kan Jam as metal cans, so while working in his basement he found linoleum, which sparked the flexible material that Kan Jam is made with today.
After more than a decade of modifying, and attempting to sell the game to schools and stores, Kan Jam started flying off shelves in 2006.
Today, there's a Kan Jam for just about every team. That includes the hometown Buffalo Bills. The Kan Jam discs are made in Orchard Park.
While Sciandra is no longer an owner, he is extremely proud of the success Kan Jam continues to have, especially back with a Buffalo company.
"I think it's spectacular to come full circle back to Buffalo where we started," said Sciandra. "I tell people to follow your dreams however never put yourself in debt."
