Figure 1

The Yo-Yo: An Everlasting Toy

1. Introduction

The yo-yo could possibly be the second oldest toy in the world, after the doll. Historians today argue the origin of the first yo-yo. Most believe it came from Greece, but others argue that the first yo-yo was born in China or India. Pedro Flores and Donald Duncan contributed to the popularity of the yo-yo in the United States by manufacturing and promoting them. Because of them, the yo-yo was the most popular toy in the late 1900’s. It was said that not one kid during that time period lived without a yo-yo.

1. Discovery

The yo-yo is a popular toy, consisting of a spool that is reeled up and down a string (as seen in figure 1). You play it by slipping your finger through a loop in the top of the string, and moving your hand in an upward downward motion. This causes the spool to ride up and down the string. Although, it is not as easy as it sounds. There are many techniques and tricks that make the yo-yo a very addicting and fun game for just about everyone. The “United States yo-yo” all started with a ma named Pedro Flores. He created his own yo-yo in his spare time and learned all sorts of tricks with it. He attracted many people which led him to begin his own small business in California. His business wasn’t a huge hit, but it caught the eye of Duncan Donald. In fact, Duncan bought out Flores and trademarked the yo-yo in 1932. Duncan distributed men and women all around the United States to promote the yo-yo. Duncan had advertisements everywhere; on billboards, on flyers, television commercials, and street performers. Because of the immense amount of advertisements and attractions around the 1950’s, the yo-yo was the most popular toy in the United States. It’s peak took a sharp turn downhill from there. Duncan became bankrupt because of many lawsuits against his trademarking, and no longer had the money to keep manufacturing the popular toy. The yo-yo’s quickly lost their popularity. Although, many other people have continued Duncan’s work, keeping the yo-yo alive. Today, many yo-yo skills competitions take place around the world. People come up with exotic new ways to play with the yo-yo, so the toy never gets old.

1. Bio of Investigators

Pedro Flores was born in Vinta, Ilocos Norte, Philippines. He came to the United States as an immigrant in 1915. Flores worked as a bellboy in San Francisco, when he made his first yo-yo. He trademark registered the name Flores Yo-Yo, on July 22, 1930. Later on, his yo-yo factories and the trademark were taken over by Donald Duncan.

Donald Duncan was born on June 6th, 1892. He was an American entrepreneur and an inventor. He was the founder of Duncan Toys Company, and is commonly recognized as being associated with the yo-yo. He took over Pedro Flores’s work and far extended it through advertisement and manufacturing. When his business was at it’s peak, he shortly became bankrupt and died in a tragic car accident on May 15th, 1971.

1. Impact on the world

During the late 19th century, the yo-yo was the most popular toy in the world. It brought joy to everyone, not necessarily just kids. Some people claim that the yo-yo could possible be the most addictive toy ever made. Billions of dollars have been made off of yo-yo’s, and still more to come. During the early 20th century, the British Association of Toy Retailers voted the yo-yo the “Craze of the Century” because of it’s immense amount of popularity. The love of the Yo-Yo has been spread throughout the world and is still popular to this day. Currently, several worldwide Yo-Yo competitions are held as people from all over the world show off their Yo-Yoing skills.

1. Journal Article and Conclusion

The article that I found by Mary Pilon is called “The Yo-Yo Has Had Ups and Downs, But It’s Far From End of Its String”. This article explains how the yo-yo is a never ending toy that excites people all around the world. She also describes how intense the sport is, and tells about injuries caused by yo-yoists. Pilon says “Hardcore yo-yoists now upload images of their battle wounds online: chipped teeth, calloused hands, bandaged brows, and ruined veins.” She describes how many people take yo-yoing seriously, and sometimes take it a bit too far. She tells how yo-yoing is a very competitive sport that can be dangerous, but very exciting. She believes that the yo-yo is not going anywhere; it will never be something of the past.

Many people stand behind her with that statement. The yo-yo has had some fall outs, but it always manages to have more and more comebacks each year. People all over the world never get tired of playing with a yo-yo, and some argue that it could be the best toy ever made.

1. References

Inventors About (2010) The History of the Yo-Yo. Retrieved on December 12th, 2010 from http://inventors.about.com/od/xyzstartinventions/a/yoyo.htm

Deutsch, Jeff (2010) Last 100 Years in the History of The Yo-Yo- How Did it Become a Marketing Blockbuster? Retrieved on December 12th, 2010 from http://ezinearticles.com/?Last-100-Years-in-the-History-of-The-Yo-Yo---How-Did-it-Become-a-Marketing-Blockbuster?&id=4692522

How Stuff Works (2010) Yo-Yo History. Retrieved on December 12th, 2010 from http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/yo-yo-basics1.htm

Wikipedia (2010) Donald Duncan. Retrieved on December 12th, 2010 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duncan

Pilon, Mary (2010) The Yo-Yo Has Had Ups and Downs, But It’s Far From End of Its String. Retrieved on December 12th, 2010 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124778820675954809.html