(Source of image: Florida State Archives)
Believe it or not, yo-yos are considered the second oldest toy
in history, with only dolls dating back further.
Here are three "Philippine yo-yo experts," according to a note on
this Jacksonville photo. The two front gentlemen are holding yo-yos. There is some mystery surrounding this
image from 1931: What were the names of these men? Did they visit
the River City in order to give yo-yo exhibitions? If so, where did their
demonstrations take place? How interesting it would be if any River City residents
can contribute old memories of these events.
WALK
THE DOG --
Yo-yos flew off store shelves during
the late 1920s and early '30s. They proved one of the era's great
crazes, along with other fads or obsessions like crossword puzzles, mahjong, canasta, miniature golf, marathon dancing,
and flagpole sitting. Based in Wisconsin, the
legendary Duncan Yo-Yo Company sent out over 100 men, many of them Filipino, to
promote its products in towns & cities across America. Standing outside
local candy stores and movie theaters, small groups of experts showed and taught such
tricks as "walk the dog" and "around the world." The
champs also carved thousands
of yo-yos with pictures of birds and palm trees. In addition, prizes
were given for yo-yos created by amateurs, who even crafted them from bicycle wheels and wood barrel tops.
Yo-yos seemed a
good toy for
Great
Depression children. They were cheap, fun, and long-lasting, occasionally needing only
the string replaced. Because the disks were made from hardwoods, they
could survive being struck against cement sidewalks, such as when they "walked
like a dog."
YO-YOING IN THE SOUTH PACIFIC -- Were
yo-yos used as weapons
in the Philippine Islands? Some websites say yes, while others indicate
that this is bunk. The word "yo-yo"
comes from Tagalog, the principle Filipino language.
It means "spring," "come-come,"
or "come back."
According to some accounts,
Filipino men once flung
yo-yos at enemies or prey. Attached to 20-foot twine ropes, these
yo-yos boasted large, disk-shaped bodies with sharp edges and studs.
A hunter would hide in a tree and cast the disk at a target.
If his aim were off, he could retrieve the weapon by the rope. Perhaps the
twine was also utilized to ensnare an animal's legs and trip it up.
Whether or not all of this is true, however, yo-yos did prove
very popular as toys in
the Philippines
by the early 1900s.
After the
War of 1898, the U.S. acquired the Philippine Islands from Spain,
and numerous Filipinos then emigrated to California. They brought along yo-yos.
One Filipino newcomer, a bellhop named Pedro Flores, began to manufacture yo-yos during the late 1920s. The toy's potential occurred
to him
when he read about a
guy who made millions by selling a
ball
attached to a rubber
band.
Flores became the first person to
mass-produce yo-yos,
turning them out in
a small San Francisco Bay area factory.
DUNCAN ENTERS THE GAME -- It took the efforts
of an ice cream pioneer, though, to make the playthings familiar among Americans.
Donald Duncan Sr.
invented the first ice cream on a stick, the Good Humor Ice Cream Bar, and he
developed the first Good Humor truck to tout the cool treat. Among other
achievements, he was the successful marketer of the
first parking meter, and he originated the first premium incentive in which
someone sends in cereal box tops and receives toys. Duncan also found time
to kick off the first great
yo-yo
fad in America.
Yo-yos captured Duncan's
imagination, so he bought the rights to them from Flores in about 1930. Duncan
then improved the plaything's design, allowing it to be much more
versatile for such tricks as "sleeping." Yo-yos caught America's fancy, at
least for a while.
You knew that this pun
was coming, but
yo-yo
sales have been up & down. According to one story, the Lego company got
stuck with a huge inventory after a market dip during the Thirties. They
remedied the situation by sawing each
yo-yo
in half and using them as wheels on toy cars and trucks.
Do you remember the yo-yo boom in of 1962? Duncan sold 45 million of them. The enterprise made lots of money, but it also spent a fortune
on production and advertising.
It finally had to quit the yo-yo business, concentrating instead on parking
meter manufacturing. Nevertheless, the yo-yo has survived in this high
tech world of video games and satellite TV. In fact, it ranks as the first
toy to travel into space!
MYSTERY IMAGE: THE UPS