In this Pikpok Pickle Interview, we chat with the latest Melbourne based Pickleball paddle company that has exploded online across the world. Their paddles are high performance, beautifully designed with electric energy by some passionate pickleball lovers. The Bros discovered Pikpok Pickle at the Victorian Open 2025 Tournament in Frankston and learned that their awesome paddles also have an amazing story behind them.
We sat down with two of the founders of Pikpok Pickle, Karen and Vernon to learn about the origin of the brand, their pickleball vision and their fantastic paddles.
Q: Pikpok Pickle is a new Melbourne based Pickleball paddle company. It feels like it sprang up overnight. How did you guys start out.
KAREN: So Melissa and myself have been best friends for 20 years like family and I met Vernon at work later but we have known each other for more than 10 years now. Melissa played tennis with my husband, and then we started to play pickleball last year (in 2024).
Melissa’s mum back in Malaysia had this initiative at schools to play pickleball because it is popular. We didn’t like the cheap plastic paddles the kids were using. So we had a vision to make really good paddles at a reasonable price. Expensive paddles limit access to a lot of people, so we wanted to give access to good paddles. And obviously, we want the sport to grow.
Q: And how did you start making the paddles? That sounds really difficult.
KAREN: So Melissa and myself started to research paddles, while Vernon worked on the color and branding. We started prototyping paddles and testing them.
The beginning was really tough. We tried a lot of designs and prototypes. The first paddle was the Panther Fury. We would give prototypes to Sharon and Rohan, the owners of Pickleball Palace at Pascoe Vale.
They would say “this is good, that is good”. We would get feedback and prototype again and again until we got something we liked. We got the paddle USAPA approved and we launched the brand on World Pickleball Day 2024.
Q: There are a lot of paddles being made out there, what makes Pikpok paddles unique or special?
KAREN: It’s the entire Pikpok aesthetic. We have beautiful designs, and obviously our quality is there. we offer more color schemes for the paddles. But we don’t just develop the paddle itself. We think about the paddle, and the paddle sleeve. An we have nice sleeves that have zips, straps and a pocket.
We think about how do we do it better? How do we make the entire paddle and package look better.
Before you buy a paddle, it’s the aesthetic part. You love it, you love the feel. You love the look. Like for girls, especially for me, I enjoy the aesthetics and the accessories. We even came up with a ball sleeve. I love all the small stuff that goes with the paddle. We have many accessories.
So I find that is also one of our strengths that you may consider when you buy a Pikpok paddle.
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Q: How did you come up with the name?
KAREN: Pikpok is the sound you hear while playing pickleball. Pik-Pok.
Melissa came up with the name, first we were laughing at it. We said, “Nah, it’s just funny”. And after two months, I told Vernon maybe we should try it? I mean, it’s funny, yes, but maybe people will remember it.
VERNON: I sat down with Karen and had some fun experimenting with different fonts and ideas, and eventually, we found one that felt just right. And if you notice the Pik Pok emblem, it is constructed with two P’s.
Q: I love the Pikpok paddle designs, what is the inspiration for the look and feel of the paddles?
VERNON: If you look at Panther Fury, in terms of design, the streak line represents energy and movement. It’s a key part of our branding and appears across all our paddles. We name our paddles after animals, inspired by their traits and instincts.
The panther’s agility, focus, and playfulness made it the perfect name for our first paddle, which remains an important one for us. Made with carbon fibre, it’s designed for control, spin, and agility. Great for intermediate to pro players but still beginner-friendly.
KAREN: The lines form part of our branding now, so every series will have the lines. It could be subtle lines or a lot of lines. With the Viper Shadow, we kept the design clean. With our prototyping, we found that simple design can maximise the surface potential. And it will improve the performance of the player.
Q: Wow, I had no idea. And I have to ask about the Pickleball Dentist, he’s a fantastic player you sponsor. How did that happen?
KAREN: Tam, the Pickleball Dentist plays at the Pickleball Palace where we do our paddle testing. Rohan from Pickleball Palace told me that Tam is really good, he’s like a 5.5 player. We leave our prototypes at Pickleball Palace, and then we were told Tam tried our paddle and absolutely loved it.
Read More: If you are a Pascoe Vale local, check out Pickleball Palace on Google Maps. It’s a great venue in Melbourne’s Northern suburbs.
Then we started talking about sponsoring players, and we asked Tam if he was interested in being our sponsored player. He said , “why not? I love your paddles”.
Tam shares a similar vision on Pickleball, he coaches as well and he plays everywhere. He is winning tournaments, like at the Victoria Open Tournament. And people want to know what paddle is Tam using. He said he loves using the Viper Shadow because it brought his power to maximum level.
Q: Wow, That’s great that he is winning with your paddles. Any other sponsorships in the works?
KAREN: We recently signed Ben King, a Para player from Tasmania. He used to play with Gearbox paddles and then he played with our Viper paddle, and he loved it.
We are thrilled, and we’re also very happy when we help a player. And we think it’s great to support the para community. So again, we signed a player that shares our vision and wants to promote the sport and build the community. That’s what we want.
Q: That’s a fantastic story. As paddle designers, what paddles would you recommend to a pickleball beginner or an intermediate/competition player?
KAREN: If a beginner comes to me, it comes down to how much they are willing to spend. We have the Magpie Swoop, that is our entry level paddle. It’s made of fiber glass and that’s a good one to start with.
As a beginner, if you have a bigger budget, or as you get better and you want to upgrade, we recommend the Panther Fury. It has more control, so if you are new to the sport you will land more good shots.
Intermediate and high level players, if you want a power paddle, we like the Viper Shadow.
And we have kids paddles, the panther junior. It has all the control of the Panther Fury, it’s lighter and smaller for kids hands.
Q: What is coming next from Pik Pok
KAREN: Well, we’re now testing the next generation paddle, so our third range. It has a different surface as well as a different core. It’s very exciting, and we hope it will be out sometime in July or August.
Contact Pikpok Pickle
It was great to chat with Karen and Vernon from Pikpok Pickle. The Bros are big fans of their paddles, and we love their passion for Pickleball and developing the best paddles. Keep an eye on Pikpok Pickle and their expanding roster of Pickleball players. Check them out online, contact the Pikpok crew anytime and tell them the Bros sent you.
Has anyone out there tried a Pikpok paddle? Or just keen to try one, let the Bros know in the comments below.
Pickle On
The Aussie Pickleball Bros.