June 6th is National Yo-Yo Day. The first known reference to a yo-yo was on a Greek vase painting dating from 500 B.C., but it is believed that the yo-yo actually originated in China earlier.
The name “yo-yo” comes from the northern Philippine Ilokano language word “yóyo.” It means “come-come.”
The first American manufacturer of yo-yos was Pedro Flores who started the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California, in 1928.
The next year, Donald F. Duncan purchased the company. In 1932, he renamed it The Duncan Toys Company.
In 1968, Flambeau Products bought Duncan Toys and still owns it today.
The Duncan yo-yo was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999.
In 1979, a new innovation introduced the first “take-apart” yo-yo, which allowed users to change the axle of the yo-yo. The inventor was Tom Kuhn, a dentist and yo-yo celebrity.
The World Yo-Yo Contest is held every year in Orlando, Florida, in late July or early August.
Sleeping a yo-yo is the art of keeping a yo-yo spinning while remaining at the end of its string.
The world’s largest yo-yo weighs 256 pounds and is on display at the National Yo-Yo Museum in California.
A yo-yo first went into space in 1985. It could be thrown at slow speeds, but could not sleep due to the lack of gravity.
At Oxford at Tech Ridge in Austin, Texas, we enjoy sharing fun facts with our residents. We hope you enjoyed these tidbits on yo-yos.