Kid Stuff: Duncan Yo-Yo
It’s on a string. It goes down. It comes back up. What’s so great about that, to have it considered a Great American Thing? Duncan took this simple concept, which seems to date back to 500 B.C., and made it cool.
They did it in part by having yo-yo professionals – yes, professionals – go around the country doing exhibitions. Kids loved it. The youngsters who’d mastered the art of getting the yo-yo to “sleep” and “walking the dog” could now do more impressive tricks, such as “around the world” and “rock the baby.”
While yo-yos were on a par with hula hoops and frisbees as a fad toy of the baby boomer generation, they’ve definitely not gone away. There seems to be a yo-yo community thriving online and in the social media, and Duncan still sponsors traveling pros and world championships. Duncan yo-yos were included in the initial class of the National Toy Hall of Fame.
Take a look at the video below to see the amazing things done with a yo-yo today, something earlier Duncan generations couldn’t have imagined:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoBDUDL6Xis]
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