Yo-yo History Of The Yo yo Ancient Origins The Yo yo In Modern

It is played by tying the string's free end around the middle finger, grasping the yo-yo, and then throwing it with a smooth motion. As the axle spins within the loop, a gyroscopic effect occurs, permitting time to perform a number of movements. By flicking the wrist, the yo-yo can be made to return to the player's hand, with the cord again completely wound into the groove. Any movement, or combination of movements, which result in the return of the yo-yo to the player's hand in this fashion is considered a trick.

Yo-yoing is a popular pastime around the world. Although generally associated with children, it is not uncommon for people who gain a level of proficiency at the sport in youth to continue playing into adulthood.

1 History of the yo-yo

Contrary to popular myth, there is no evidence that the yo-yo or any of its predecessors ever existed as a weapon. While the impact generated by a yo-yo could indeed be rendered deadly with the addition of sharpened edges, the difficulty of safely retrieving it would render such a device somewhat impractical. This rumor may have originated in the Philippines, where hunters in the 16th century used sharp rocks with strings attached to kill prey from trees. As the development of the modern yo-yo began in the Philippines at around the same time, this is likely the source of the confusion.

1.1 Ancient origins

The yo-yo is a truly ancient form of amusement, with as many names as cultures which have assimilated it. Archaeologically, it is the second oldest toy known (after dolls). Although it is thought to have originated in China, the first hard evidence of yo-yolike toys in the historical record appears around 500 B.C. in ancientAncient Greece is the term used to describe the Greek-speaking world in ancient times. It refers not only to the territory of the present Greek state, but also to those areas settled in ancient times by Greeks: Cyprus, the Aegean coast of Turkey (then kno GreeceGreece formally called the Hellenic Republic (in Greek: ) Hellenike Demokratia , is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. It is bounded on land by Bulgaria, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. As shown at right, a vase depicting play_(A), as well as a specimen_(B), are on display in the National Museum of Athens .

The toy is likely to have spread throughout AsiaThe continent of Asia is defined by subtracting Europe and Africa from the great land mass of Africa-Eurasia. The boundaries are vague, especially between Asia and Europe: Asia and Africa meet somewhere near the Suez Canal. The boundary between Asia and E and EuropeFor the band of the same name, see Europe (band . Europe is a continent forming the westermost part of the Eurasian supercontinent. Europe is bounded to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the west by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the Mediterranean Se via trade routeA trade route is a common path of travel for those who frequently traverse between any points of barter interest. The route is considered preferable based on ease of travel. These routes exist everywhere across the planet, and they are usually organized bs, and is known to have enjoyed periods of popularity in ScotlandScotland or in Scottish Gaelic, Alba is a country and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom. Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland took part in a p, EnglandEngland is the largest, the most populous, and the most densely populated of the four " Home Nations" which make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Occupying the south-eastern portion of the island of Great Britain, England, IndiaThe Republic of India is a large multicultural country in South Asia, with a population of over one billion. The Indian economy is the fourth largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity, and is the world's second-fastest growing economy., and even Egypt. The emigrette gained particular notariety in the western world during the French revolution; It was seen as a welcome source of relief from stress, likely epidemic during that period of French history.

Jumping across the ocean, yo-yos would incubate for a time before exploding commercially in the New World to become an international phenomenon.

1.2 The yo-yo in modern times

The modern incarnation of the device was refined in the Philippines. The name yo-yo is derived from Tagalog and translates to "come-come". The term was first published in a dictionary of Filipino words printed in 1860. Tradition has it that use of the folk toy dates back at least a number of centuries there. The principal distinction between the Filipino design and previous, more primitive "back-and-forth" models is in the way the yo-yo is strung. One continuous piece of string, double the desired length, is twisted around itself to produce a loop at one end (as shown at left) which is fitted around the axle. This seemingly minor modification allows for a far greater variety and sophistication of motion, thanks to increased stability and suspension of movement during free spin. It is, without a doubt, the most important development in the evolution of the yo-yo.

The first United States patent on the toy was issued to James L. Haven and Charles Hettrich in 1866 under the name whirligig, however, the yo-yo would remain in relative anonymity until 1928 when a Filipino American named Pedro Flores opened the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California. The business started with a dozen handmade toys; by November of 1929, Flores was operating two additional factories in Los Angeles and Hollywood, which altogether employed 600 workers and produced 300,000 units daily. Shortly thereafter (ca. 1930), Donald F. Duncan recognized the potential of this new fad and purchased the Flores Yo-yo Corporation and all its assets, including the Flores name, which was transferred to the new company in 1932. He is reputed to have paid more than $250,000, a fortune by depression era standards. It turned out to be a sound investment, making many, many times this amount in the years to follow.

Duncan, although often miscredited with invention of the yo-yo, was in fact a prolific entrepreneur and inventor. He founded the Good Humor frozen treats franchise and a parking meter company which dominates that industry to this day. Most notable among Duncan's invention credits is the concept of the 'premium incentive', a marketing tactic wherein one collects proofs of purchase (i.e. boxtops or UPC barcodes) and redeems them for rewards, such as small toys or discount coupons.

A chart of the yo-yo's commercial history would mimic the path of the toy itself, finding peaks and lows many times over the course of the 20th century. Declining sales after the second World War prompted Duncan to launch a comeback campaign for his trademarked "Yo-Yo" in 1962 with a series of television advertisements. The media blitz met with unprecedented success, thanks in great part to the introduction of the Duncan Butterfly, which was effectively an inverse version of the classic Imperial design that made landing the yo-yo on its string (in tricks such as "trapeze") much more accessible to the beginner. This success would be short-lived, however, and in a landmark intellectual property case in 1965, a federal appeals court ruled in favor of the Royal Tops Company, determining that Yo-Yo had become a part of common speech and that Duncan no longer had exclusive rights to the term. As a result of the expenses incurred by this legal battle as well as other financial pressures, the Duncan family sold the company name and associated trademarks in 1968 to Flambeau Plastics, who had manufactured Duncan's plastic models since 1955. They continue to run the company today.

2 Related articles

Chinese yo-yo or diabolo
List of yo-yo tricks

3 External links

Official Duncan Yo-Yo Website
National Yo-Yo Contest and Museum Website
World Yo-Yo Contest
Yo-Yo Times, longest running yo-yo publication
History of the Yo-Yo at Spintastics
Tom Kuhn Homepage at What's Next
Yo-Yo Man Homepage on Smothers Brothers Website
Lucky's Guide to Yo-Yo Collecting
A listing of Yo-yo related U.S. patents compiled by collector Rick Brough
Yo-Yo.org; Free web space for yo-yocentric web communities
Yoyoing.com's message board; The yo-yo communites message board.

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