Lucky’s History of the Yo-Yo

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Added: Wed Oct 31st 3:35pm
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I am the author of “Lucky’s Collectors Guide to 20th Century Yo-Yos – History and Values”. If you're interested at all in collecting, or in the history of this amazing creation, the book is a must-read! I am also the chairman of the American Yo-Yo Association’s History and Collecting Committee. The following is a small excerpt of what I've learned about the fascinating past of the yo-yo.

The true origin of the yo-yo will in all probability never be known. Many countries have made the claim to the invention of the toy, but documented evidence is lacking. Some historians argue a multiple site origin, but currently the most accepted theory is that the toy originated in China around 1000 B.C. Although there are no records of the yo-yo in China, the Diabolo has been documented in China which is a very similar toy. Linguistics experts have indicated that the name “yo-yo”, although used in the Philippines for hundreds of years to describe the toy, is Oriental in origin.

Other historians argue that the yo-yo is Greek in origin. There is evidence to support early Greek yo-yos circa 500 B.C. as Greek disks do exist that have a similar design to a modern yo-yo. Archeologists argue whether these were true yo-yos or perhaps used for spools for thread or ornamental supports from which drapery cords were tied. The fact that these discs were ceramic and fragile would lead one to believe that they were not used as toys. Proponents of the yo-yo theory of these discs site a Greek bowl with a decoration of a young boy playing with what appears to be a yo-yo.

In any event, the yo-yo is certainly an ancient toy that has survived the centuries. The surge of popularity of the yo-yo in the late 18th century lead many historians to believe that the yo-yo was introduced to Europe, from the far east possibly by missionaries, around that same time period. During the late 18th century the yo-yo became very popular in France amongst the nobility. The toy was not referred to as a yo-yo during this period; the most common name in use was “bandalore”.

When the toy was first introduced to North America is unknown. The first documented reference in the United States to the toy was a patent in 1866 by James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick for a new and useful bandelore. It changed the construction of the yo-yo adding a central rivet to hold the two halves together which allowed the toy to be made out of metal. Clearly the toy was known in the United States prior to this but its popularity was unclear.

In 1928, Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant began manufacturing the toy as a “yo-yo” in the United States and the history of the modern yo-yo began. Flores did three very important things for the toy. First he named the toy a “yo-yo” and although he had not coined the term himself, as this was the name for the toy from his native country, the Philippines, and it became a very popular term in the United States culture and among the press for describing the toy. Secondly, the Flores yo-yo had the string looped around the axle in place of being fixed or tied to the axle. This allowed for the yo-yo to spin at the end of the string opening up a new arena of yo-yo play. Finally and most importantly he introduced the yo-yo contest which was essential for the absolute craze that followed.

Although the yo-yo had been around for centuries, it was the craze of the contest that made the yo-yo one of the most popular toys of the twentieth century. The demand for the toy was so great in 1929 that Popular Mechanics published an article on how to make a Filipino yo-yo.

Flores actually produced yo-yos for only a very brief period of time before he sold his yo-yo trademark and company to the Donald F. Duncan Company. Duncan at the time was a competitor for Flores but did not have the trademark rights to the yo-yo. Don Duncan was a genius in marketing, and once he had purchased the trademark rights from Flores, The Duncan Yo-Yo Company became the number one producer of yo-yos for the next thirty-five years, claiming 85% of the entire United States yo-yo market during this period of time. The annual appearance of the Duncan yo-yo man and his contests became a rights of passage for the youth of America during this period.



Duncan’s early success in promoting yo-yos was due, in large part, to his mastery of free publicity. He used the technique of combining contest campaigns with local newspaper subscription drives. The sponsoring newspapers benefited by requiring the entrants to sell subscriptions for contest eligibility. They in turn, provided free publicity and prizes. The technique was so successful that Duncan convinced William Randolph Hearst, the biggest newspaper magnate of the early 20th century, to use yo-yo contests to stimulate his circulation. Some of Duncan’s biggest campaigns in the ‘30s were in conjunction with cities that had Hearst controlled newspapers.



Duncan also tapped into recognition surrounding celebrity exposure. Celebrities such as Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, and Baseball Hall-of-Famers Lou Gehrig and Hack Wilson were all photographed with yo-yos in hand. Paid promotions using popular movie icons such as “Our Gang,” were used in the promotion of the “Gold Seal” and “O-boy” yo-yos. If a town was without a visible celebrity, public officials did nicely for publicity shots. Mayors, police chiefs, city health commissioners, all were recruited to promote local yo-yo campaigns.

Look for more of the story here soon!