Hobbies And Interests
Early Depictions
While yo-yo's may date back further, the first mention of them historically is from Greece in 500 B.C. Called discs, ancient Greeks made the first yo-yo's out of wood, metal or painted terra cotta. A vase in the National Museum of Athens shows a painting of a child playing with an ancient yo-yo, and a terra cotta disc is also available for viewing. A box made in India in 1765 shows a hand-painted picture of a little girl playing with a yo-yo.
L'emigrette
A French 1789 painting shows a 4-year old King Louis XVII holding a l'emigrette, which was the name for the toy at the time. The name means "to leave the country" in French. The toy obtained this name because, during the French Revolution, many French aristocrats had to flee the country because their lifestyle was under attack by the lower class. One of the few items many families took with them for their children were these small toys made of glass and ivory because they were easy to transport in a hurry.
Stress Relief
The popularity of the yo-yo continued to spread throughout Europe not only through kids, but also as a means for adults to relieve stress (much like the "stress ball" you find available today). Drawings from the late 18th century show soldiers playing with yo-yo's. In 1792, the famous French playwright Beaumarchais wrote the yo-yo into "The Marriage of Figaro." When the main character comes on stage playing with the toy and states, when asked why, that "It is a noble toy that dispels the fatigue of thinking." History even notes that Napoleon's army would often play with yo-yo's to relax prior to battle.
Pedro Flores
In the meantime, yo-yo's became a popular toy in the Philippines. Carved out of wood, and the first examples known of a yo-yo with the string tied to the axle, they were a national pastime for several generations. In the 1920s, a gentleman named Pedro Flores moved to the United States, his yo-yo in tow. Flores soon got a job as a bellhop at the Santa Monica Hotel in California and spent many lunch breaks playing with his hand-carved toy. He soon drew a crowd with his variety of tricks that were finally possible due to the Filipino design of the toy. This is where the name "yo-yo" actually began due to the Filipino word meaning "come, come."
Donald Duncan
While the late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a variety of patents in the United States for toys much like the yo-yo, it wasn't until the 1920s that the toy really took off. A businessman named Donald Duncan observed the Flores yo-yo and noted the attraction from onlookers. He quickly purchased the idea and Flores' small company and immediately started marketing the product. By the 1950s, Duncan introduced the plastic and butterfly-shaped versions of the toy. A large demand for the toy followed the first TV commercials in 1962. Duncan fought fiercely to keep the yo-yo trademark from competitors, and it eventually led him to sell his business, leaving the market open for the variety of models available today.