Our Story

Hi! I’m Mike Rodriguez, creator of Maikyro (pronounced my-key-roh). I was only 10 years old when I invented the game in Monterrey Mexico.

I LOVED origami as a kid and one day during school I folded a small paper cup, placed it on my thumb and thought it could be a thumb mask!

I then drew a cool face on it. Excited, I challenged a friend to a thumb war game while wearing my new thumb mask. My friend accepted the challenge, and everyone in class came in close to watch the battle. 

My friend pinned my thumb down, and when I tried pulling my thumb away, something unforgettable happened…

My thumb managed to slip away from my friend’s, but my origami mask fell off in the process.

But it didn’t just fall off, it flew away. It flew all the way up until it touched the ROOF of the classroom! Everyone in the class screamed in awe.  

The idea came to me instantly. 

I would make a second mask, and play again with my friend but now BOTH wearing one, and this time, the winner won't be the one that can pin down the opponent for 3 seconds, but will be the one that can unmask his opponent!

I did just that, and it worked. 

The very next day word got out and everyone in my school grade was begging me to make thumb masks for them. I started to make more and the day after began to secretly sell them at school (we were not allowed to sell anything).

I decided to call the masks “Luchos” (Yes, they were called Luchos before Maikyros, more on that later). 

Luchos was a hit… I began organizing tournaments during recess, and could not keep up with demand. But every good thing has to come to an end…

I simply did not have the time to make Luchos daily and keep up with school and soccer. 

At first my friends got sad, but after a few months everyone seemingly forgot about them…

5 years later

I was now 15 years old, in 8th grade. I never really stopped making Luchos, and slowly perfected the design that evolved from a traditional origami cup to the perfect thumb mask for the game. 

One day, my youngest brother, Keno, took a few Luchos to school. Later that day, Keno told me about how his friends begged him to bring more, and after 5 years I had accumulated hundreds of Luchos ready to be sold. But I refused. 

I knew that he could get expelled for selling, but he had an idea, we would just sell them AFTER school ends! 

I agreed, and a new generation of fans began…

But just a few weeks later, on an after school selling day, a teacher caught up to what we were doing. 

She came to us with Luchos in her hands, asked me if I was the one making them, and told me I'm not allowed to sell them on school grounds. Furthermore, kids have been way too distracted during class times, and in consequence they were also BANNED to bring them completely.

I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. 

I was packing my stuff back, all of the kids disappointed, when someone asked me which was my all time favorite one. I told them I didn't have it with me, but I pulled up a picture on my phone…  it was Mighty Yellow of course.

A bunch of kids were in Awe, they have never seen a shiny one. They asked me how much it was, but I told them it wasn’t for sale….

I told them that you can’t buy shiny Luchos, you have to win them, in tournaments or something…

I was a little sad that afternoon, knowing that I was banned from selling them… then my mom came to my room with some crazy news. 

Multiple moms of Keno’s friends called her asking her about this tournament I was going to do for the “thumb game”. I really didn’t mean it, but summer was a week away and it just seemed like the perfect opportunity to thank the kids that supported my game.

I organized the first ever official Luchos tournament for my brother’s grade,  and the first place would win Mighty Yellow as their prize.

It was a success, except of course for the controversial winner, my brother, Keno. 

What can I say, he practiced with the creator of the game! 

The kid that lost the final against Keno began crying, and my heart broke.

But I was prepared for that. I secretly made EVERY kid a Mighty Yellow, as a thanks for being OG fans. Keno just had his in a nice golden thumb trophy to accompany it with. 

11 years later

It’s 2026, I am 26 years old and I am about to officially launch my game to the world, 16 years later. 

WHAT HAS TAKEN ME THIS LONG!!!??

Well, I played professional soccer for a few years, played in France, Spain, England, and then went to college with a soccer scholarship in the USA. 

But I never really stopped my dream. 

After the 2015 Luchos tournament I changed the name to Maikyro (I found Luchos was the name of a bar in the neighborhood lol), adjusted the gameplay to include different powers, game modes, and rarities, and taught myself graphic design to digitally draw 210 original designs for the season 1 Maikyro collection. Then it took me 3 years to find the perfect material for Maikyros to be made in a factory, and I also had time to plan out many other surprises that are still yet to come!

I hope you enjoy playing, collecting, and having as much fun as I have on this journey. 

Sincerely,

Mike Rodriguez Jr.

Creator Maikyro