The Yoyo is believed to have originated in China but first mentioned in Greece in 500BC. These ancient toys were disks made out of wood, terra cotta and metal with a string. They were often painted and are depicted being played with on Greek vases. An actual disk is in the Athens National Museum. Pictures of objects in the shape of a Yo-Yo are found in Egyptian temples.
Fast forward to the 16th century to the Philippines where the Yo-Yo was used as a weapon and then a toy as it went up and down. In 1765 a miniature box from India had a picture on the lid showing a girl playing with a Yo-Yo. The Yo-Yo then travels to Europe, known by various names in France and Germany, loved by the aristocracy and made not only from wood but also glass and ivory. It arrived in Paris in 1791 and was called ‘joujou de Normandie’ a possible root for the American name Yo-Yo? Napolean in 1815 played with one called a bandalore before the Battle of Waterloo.
The first record of the Yo-Yo in America was in 1866 when a patent was applied for an improved bandalore with a weighted rim. The Philippines meanwhile were improving their ‘come-come’ carving it out of wood and playing with it began in early childhood eventually developing into a national pastime for all age groups.
In 1920 Pedros Flores brought the first Filipino Yo-Yo (the start of the name) to the States and in 1928 started the Yo-Yo Company in California. These were carved from a single piece of wood but did not have the string tied to the axle, instead it was looped around the axle allowing it to spin enabling it to do an infinite number of tricks.
In 1928 Donald Duncan bought the company and developed an amazing advertisement campaign with Duncan Yo-Yo professionals traveling around the US giving lessons, demonstrating tricks and running contests and competitions. He patented the name ‘Yo Yo’. In 1946 he moved the business from California to Luck Wisconsin and it became known as the Yo-Yo capital of the world producing 3,600 toys per hour. They were made out of maple wood.
My brother and I got Yo-Yos in our Xmas stockings in 1948. My brother could do all sorts of tricks walking the dog, twisting it in the air whilst I could only every manage up and down. It was impossible to keep the name Yo-Yo as a trademark and in 1965 the Federal Court of Appeals ruled the term Yo-Yo was a permanent part of the language and did not describe the toy but WAS the toy. The toys were now being made in plastic Duncan’s wooden toys could not compete and the business collapsed ending in bankruptcy. It was purchased by Flambeau Plastics but kept the Duncan name. June 6th is National Yo-Yo day in honour of Donald Duncan.
But how has this simple toy developed in the technical age? In the 1970’s replacement axles appeared, then the free-spinning sleeve and in the 1990’s ball bearing axles increased the spin. In 1985 NASA had a ‘Toy in Space’ project and the Yo-Yo tested microgravity . It has to be thrown not dropped due to no pull of gravity. It refused to sleep and it could not spin against the loop and so rebounded up the string and went at very slow speeds. I’m not sure how popular it is presently but the fad seems to come and go over the decades. Can any of you do any Yo-Yo tricks?