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The Timeless Toy: A Brief History of the Yoyo

The Timeless Toy: A Brief History of the Yoyo

The Timeless Toy: A Brief History of the Yoyo

The Timeless Toy: A Brief History of the Yoyo
The yo-yo is a timeless toy that has been enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures for centuries. The history of yoyo can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was used as a weapon in battle. Read more about history of yoyo in the article below.

History of Yoyo

The yo-yo is a timeless toy that has been enjoyed by people of all ages and cultures for centuries. The history of the yo-yo can be traced back to ancient Greece, where it was used as a weapon in battle. In France yoyo has become a part of fashion and even Napoleon Bonaparte played yoyo by himself. He used yo-yo as a tool to calm down during stressful battles.

ancient Greece yoyo history
yoyo history france fashion
yoyo history battle

However, it was not until the 20th century that the yoyo became a popular toy in its own right. The manufacturer made the toy with two round discs and tied a string around the center. The user would hold one disc and throw the other disc down by the string, causing it to spin. By pulling the string back up, the user could make the yo-yo return to their hand.

Pedro Flores, the Yoyo Father

The yoyo became popular in the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, thanks to the efforts of a Filipino immigrant named Pedro Flores. Flores started a yoyo manufacturing company in California and began to promote the toy by holding demonstrations and contests. The popularity of the yo-yo grew quickly, and soon there were yo-yo competitions all over the United States.

In 1928, the Duncan Toy Company bought the rights to manufacture the Flores yo-yo and began mass-producing the toy. The company marketed the yoyo as a way to improve hand-eye coordination and promote physical fitness. The Duncan Yo-Yo became a household name and remains one of the most popular yoyo brands to this day.

Yoyo during the War

During World War II, the production of yo-yos slowed down due to the shortage of materials. However, the popularity of the toy continued to grow after the war. In the 1950s, the yo-yo went through a major design change with the introduction of the “sleeping” yo-yo. This new design allowed the yoyo to spin at the end of the string for longer periods of time, enabling users to perform more complex tricks.

Yoyo as the rage in the sixites: Rude boys doing "Round the world"
Yoyo as the rage in the sixites: Rude boys doing “Around the World”

The 1960s saw the yoyo’s popularity decline, as new toys and forms of entertainment began to emerge. However, the yoyo experienced a resurgence in the 1980s with the introduction of the “modern” yo-yo. This new yo-yo was made of plastic and had a ball-bearing axle that allowed for even longer spin times and more complex tricks.

Yoyos Today – Modern Freestyle Yo-Yo Sport

Today, history of the yoyo continues and the yo-yo remains a popular toy and hobby for people of all ages. But yoyoing has also created its own sport – modern yoyoing. It is a freestyle sport with yoyo competitions being held all over the world. Competitive yoyos spin up to 8000 rpm, they are made out of aluminum, steel or titanium. Their production is done extremely precise CNC machining to reach the best performance.

Where to Buy Good Yoyo?

Now you know history of yoyo. If you are looking for great overall yoyo to start your yoyo journey and learning modern yoyo tricks we recommend the SA Yo-Yo by Skill Addicts.

SA Yo-Yo

19,99 

Learn Yoyo Tricks With Free Online App

We recommend learning yo-yo tricks with Skill Addicts free learning app. You can get it at App Store or Google Play

Benefits:

  • video tutorials created by pro players
  • rewards and level system
  • feedback from other yoyo players
  • easy to follow learning system 
  • over 1000 yoyo tricks
  • joining the yo-yo community

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