THE YO-YO

The yo-yo has been very throughout world history and may be the
second oldest toy in the world (after dolls). We can see Greek yo-yos
made of terra cotta in museums in Athens and yo-yo pictures on the walls of
Egyptian temples. We know that important men as Napoleon and the Duke of
Wellington used to with yo-yo. It was popular with any generation such as
with kids from 1 to 100 years old.

The modern of the yo-yo starts with a young gentleman from the Philippines, named
Pedro Flores. In the 1920s, he moved to the USA, and worked as a porter at a Santa Monica
hotel. Carving and playing with wooden yo-yos was a traditional pastime in the Philippines, but
Pedro found that when he was playing yo-yo his lunch break a crowd gathered to watch
him. The name “yo-yo,” which means “come-come” started at this hotel. He started a company
to make the toys, calling it the Flores Yo-Yo Company.

Donald F. Duncan, a businessman first met the yo-yo during a trip to California. A
year later, in 1929, he returned and the company from Flores, with the magic name “yoyo.”
About this time, Duncan introduced the looped slip-string, which allows the yo-yo to slip
- a necessity for advanced tricks.

The biggest yo-yo boom in history hit was in 1962, of TV advertising.