Talk:Yo-yo

Disambiguation
h is not at all related to the yo-yo skill toy), I believe there should be a disambiguation page. Thoughts? I'm afraid I don't know how to put on together if it is given the go ahead either, but I'm sure someone can help :-) --Wilfred 20:25, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

Oh well. I'll try to be bold and just get on with it. --*Wilfred* (talk) 10:03, - Wilfred

Chinese ?
Does anyone know if the word "yoyo" comes from the repetition of the Chinese word of approximately the same sound meaning "again and again"? Ursamajor13 02:50, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

afraid dante is correct.. look at this reference..

http://www.spintastics.com/HistoryOfYoYo.asp

64.131.205.239 13:40, 13 January 2007 (UTC)


 * Dante is not correct, read your source again. They're talking about rocks, not yo-yos. --Tommy Gun 07:03, 26 January 2007 (UTC)

i like chocolate milk and vanilla pudding in cereal and cookie crisp. COOOOOOOOKIEEEEEEE CRISPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 167.93.67.172 (talk) 15:52, 14 April 2008 (UTC)

Banning of yo-yos
Hasn't Yo-yos been banned in several places including the UK and some Australian states?

PMelvilleAustin 04:45 22 May 2003 (UTC)

Where did you hear that? Don't think it's ever been banned in the UK, as I've owned a number of Yo-yos myself, although it's been at least 5 years since I last had one.

Smoothy 13:42 16 March 2005 (UTC)

You're thinking of a different kind of toy which is sometimes called a "yo-yo". Those are rubbery toys with weights on the end that stretch so you can bounce it up and down. The controversy on those was due to being able to stretch the finger loop really wide and resulted in strangulation danger. Not sure where/if they were banned, but it wasn't the normal yo-yos with strings that were effected.

-- Shawn Fumo

A few UK schools banned them because of choking hazards of using the string. Not enough to be noteworth though IMHO. - Wilfred

Guns were banned in the UK, but not yo-yos. Because seriously, if they criminalize yo-yos, then only criminals will yo.

They were banned in my school - Clanfield Middle School, Hampshire - due to people swinging them around their heads and using them as slings. A window was eventually smashed, and the school enforced a complete ban. They banned conkers for the same reason. --MeteoriK 15:00, 7 May 2007 (UTC)

History links
The origins of the yo-yo have been researched quite well. You can read related articles by real authorities on the subject here:

http://www.ayya.org

and Here:

http://www.yo-yos.net

Please note that both of these sites indicate quite clearly that the yo-yo was never a weapon. What is it going to take to stop the perpetuation of this "weapon" story??

Jim

---

COuld we talk about the yoyo before it arrived in the states? is its introduction to the USa particularly significant? -- Tarquin 21:57, 10 Jan 2004 (UTC)

The introduction to the USA by Flores is actually pretty significant because of how "sleeping" yo-yos happened at the same time (though there were some yo-yos in the US prior to that). I think it is a little unclear on whether any yo-yos could sleep in the phillipines, but if they could, I don't know of any documentation for it. All the main accounts prior to the US introduction have yo-yos whose string is firmly attached to the axle. Still, it'd be nice to have as much information on the use of yo-yos prior to that point as possible.

In addition to the two links that Jim mentioned, this is good as well, as it gives a bit more depth to what happened with Pedro Flores. It seems as though Flores actually had a very substatial thing going before Duncan got involved. I'd trust Lucky's accounts the most due to his standing as a yo-yo historian and collector: http://www.nationalyoyo.org/museum/pedroflores.htm

The one from Val Krantz has a good reputation as well...

---Shawn Fumo

What about the first bearing yoyo (Tom Kuhn's design I believe) and the first transaxle. They both caused a stir when they were invented. - Wilfred

--- Stone Yo-yos were used in Greece at one point. China too, I think ---

Physics of yo-yos
This article really needs more info on the physics of how yo-yos work. &mdash;Lowellian (talk)  23:05, Oct 8, 2004 (UTC)

Yeah, the description there was pretty lacking. I added quite a bit more to the section. I think at I at least covered the main points of it. But it could probably also use a picture or two, and maybe some more description.Forbes72 (talk) 04:47, 14 April 2012 (UTC)

looped slip-string
I have uncovered contradictory information concerning the development of the looped slip-string. Was it developed in the phillipines or invented by duncan? myabe both, was duncan merely the first american to apply for a patent on it? popefauve 01:07, 4 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Most of the more reliable accounts I've seen say that Pedro Flores was the one with a looped slip-string. I think it is less clear whether Flores came up with the looped string first or if that was done by someone else in the Phillipines. Most of the pages I've seen which claim Duncan invented the sleeping yo-yo seem to be derived from Duncan's history page, which is perhaps a bit biased. --Shawn Fumo

Shawn, I have some pre-Duncan Flores yo-yos with the original string. They were looped to sleep. This does not show that Flores invented the sleeping yo-yo, but it does show that Duncan did not. I understand that there is some controversy in the Philippines about who invented this, and they have another hear, not Pedro Flores who they say did this. We need to look more into this. -GReg Ghengiscohen 15:01, 3 September 2006 (UTC) "uh-oh... does that count as 'original research'? :) popefauvexxiii 20:40, 8 September 2006 (UTC)"

Questions...
The text refers to yo-yos 'in the future', but makes no real comments, then references pictures that don't appear to be there. Any clues? Trollderella 19:57, 24 August 2005 (UTC)

What on earth is a 'linear' walk the dog? -Wilfred
 * Sounds like a Walk the Dog that does a crab-walk. RandomEcho 15:17, 5 July 2006 (UTC)

Does anyone know whether the word YoYo comes from the Chinese words of the same sound meaning "again and again"? Ursamajor13 02:52, 22 December 2006 (UTC)

Relocation necessary
The line:

"In the old 60s Hanna-Barbara cartoon Yogi Bear, there was a (somewhat offensive stereotype) bear named "Yo-yo", whose trademark was delivering a Karate Chop to dispatch those who would get between him and a pic-i-nic basket."

doesn't belong on the yoyo toy page. Where should it go? - Wilfred

maybe Yo-Yo (Hanna-Barbera character)? popefauvexxiii 06:39, 23 March 2006 (UTC)

Yoyo in anime
There is a yoyo-inspired anime titled "Chosoku Spinner". Here's a link to the "Chosoku Spinner" page at Anime News Network: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=1276. Doberdog 03:37, 18 April 2006 (UTC)Doberdog


 * I'll add a "culture" section to enable future additions like this brain 09:57, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

the yoyo as a weapon and history
On the yoyo as a weapon, Filipino martyr-hero Jose Rizal has demonstrated its capabilities. He did this during his travel to Liverpool, England in the late 1880s. His accounts are recorded in the work Epistolario Rizalino, vol. 2 p. 25. On the origin of the word yoyo, I belive it was of Visayan origin (a Philippine language).


 * be bold: remember you can add this yourself! brain 09:57, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Of course, the 1880s occurred somewhat after the first documentation of the toy in ancient Greece... P.F. Bruns (talk) 08:12, 4 March 2008 (UTC)
 * The unsigned comment which heads this session dates back to sometime prior to 13:51, November 15, 2006 &mdash; I haven't looked back prior to that. I don't have the time or resources to check out Epistolario Rizalino myself, besides which it would probably be in Spanish or Tagalog and I understand neither. Regarding "visayan" being a Philippine language, the Visayan languages article lists 21 languages in 5 language groups as being Visayan. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 08:38, 4 March 2008 (UTC)
 * Just revisiting this to note the following info, which I got here: "... Defendants introduced the testimony of Dr. Henry Lee Smith, Jr., since 1956 Chairman of the Department of Anthropology and Linguistics and Professor of Linguistic English, State University of New York at Buffalo, who qualified as an expert linguist and etymologist, particularly in the Polynesian languages. No question was raised as to the qualifications or integrity of this witness. He testified that at the request of counsel for defendants, he made a special study of the word 'yo-yo,' and that in connection with that study he consulted, in addition to the documents introduced by plaintiff, major unabridged encyclopedias, current unabridged dictionaries, various bibliographical references, and with colleagues and children. As a result of his study, he expressed the definite opinion that the word 'yo-yo' is a Malayo-Polynesian word of Philippine origin; that the toy itself is of Oriental origin, and that the word 'yo-yo' was tied together with the toy in the Philippines and was introduced into the American language from that country. His testimony was buttressed by numerous documentary references, one of which was an article appearing in The Sunday Tribune Magazine of March 5, 1933, entitled, 'Is Yo-Yo from the Philippines,' which quotes the assistant director of the Philippine National Library as saying that the word 'yo-yo' is descriptive of the movement and sound of the toy and hence the toy is characteristically so called in Filipino languages. Further, the article states that 'Yo-Yo' is a game known throughout the entire archipelago, where it is consistently used in a generic sense." -- Boracay Bill (talk) 02:03, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

Why are yoy-yo weapons utterly void from this article, when it's the origins of the toy yo-yo toy of our times? It doesn't matter if there were yo-yo toys in some societies before, those are not the origin of yo-yos in our modern world. The origin is weapons. Weapons which are not mentioned at all. Is someone afraid it will hurt yo-yo sales if parents know the truth? Heck, there's a yo-yo weapon in Samurai Warriors — Preceding unsigned comment added by 174.22.251.138 (talk) 02:23, 22 April 2012 (UTC)

Second oldest toy?
"Archaeologically, it is the second oldest toy known (after dolls)". Given the significance of this assertion, it needs a citation. 200.55.112.47 18:57, 29 August 2006 (UTC) Nahuel

I've heard this for years, but Nobody has ever shown me evidence of this. The boomerang (as a toy) goes back to at least 1500BC (an ivory one was found in an Egyptian tomb, and yes, they did have boomerangs in ancient egypt, it was not just the Australians who had them) What about the ball? There are images of balls being played with from about 1550BC, also in an Egyptian tomb. Wouldn't logic tell us that the odds are better that a ball, or a knocker, or something that is simpler was a toy that was invented first?

Also weirdly, the 2nd oldest toy reference I have never seen in any dated reference from before about 1987. Anyone have better evidence of this? -GReg Ghengiscohen 15:05, 3 September 2006 (UTC)

i will research the claim more thoroughly and try to uncover a definitive academic answer. regarding balls and boomerangs: i imagine it would be difficult to pin down an original application for boomerangs archaeologically, it may have been developed specifically for its utility as a weapon. surrounding evidence would be important... was the boomerang found in the tomb of a child? have contemorary artistic representations of boomerangs used purely for sport/leisure been found? as for balls, the first 'balls' were undoubtedly rocks and chunks of wood and the like, the point at which they transitioned from incidental junk to artifice (which i assume to be requisite of anything considered a toy) would be impossible to even approximate... additionally, a simple round formation of durable material is just as likely be a tool of some sort, so you couldnt even claim an artifact to be the 'earliest known' toy ball. —popefauvexxiii 22:12, 8 September 2006 (UTC)
 * I was just thumbing through Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things, and happened upon the section for toys. It claims that Yo-yos did in fact exist in china as much as 3,000 years ago--although the first two paragraphs of the section parrot the "YoYo as filipino weapon" fiction, so im not sure how dependable this book is as a source.this website

An interesting collection of images
I stumbled across this page today, and thought it prudent to post the URL here since these images could really add a lot to the article if anybody wanted to take the time to make digital derivs and integrate them... might be a while before i have the time:

http://www.theyoyomuseum.com/museum_view.php?action=profiles&subaction=hybrid

popefauvexxiii 18:02, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Antonacio Flor
The man's last name is Flor he was also in the 1976 Guiness book of world series for tricks. His name was Antonacio 'Tony' Flor. He did live in CA for a long time. It was my grandfather, I would know. You can erase what I wrote but please get your information right. Not Pedro Flores, but Antonacio Flor.
 * Above comments originally posted in main article by 1Joemoma. Moved here so they can be discussed, sourced and consensus reached. --Tkynerd 00:52, 25 September 2006 (UTC)
 * renamed talk section for clarity. This text was originally in "The yo-yo in modern times"  brain 10:16, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Yo-yo talk (slang)
I added the "incoherent" tag to this section because it's, well, not understandable as it is currently written. I don't know whether there really is something called "yo-yo talk" or whether this is just nonsense, so I decided not to delete it in the hope that it might be a real phenomenon and someone else can write something sensible in the section. Otherwise, feel free to delete. --Tkynerd 13:27, 3 October 2006 (UTC)

Rubber yo-yo
I put the cleanup taggy-thing in the rubber yo-yo section. It deviates considerably from the rest of the article in overall quality. Which is to say it declines. I don't have a login here! Rawr! 24.5.168.228 20:48, 16 November 2006 (UTC)

Someone inclined to clean it up should reference pp. 11-12 of the 2004 PIRG toy safety review found here. They call for a US ban on the toy, but I don't know what came of it. --24.215.188.177 07:01, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

1A
I fixed the 1A line; it said "looping tricks" when it is accually string tricks. Mines bigger 00:55, 30 January 2007 (UTC)

"Ancient Origins" clean-up
My gods...reading the entry under "Ancient Origins" was positively painful, as the grammar and content was so poor it seemed as though it had been written by a five year old child!! I can't believe such rubbish is permitted to be exhibited on the main page. I suggest that someone rewrite it at once!! --Promus Kaa 07:41, 10 February 2007 (UTC)
 * It's not just the ancient origins. the entire article is in need of cleanup. 203.185.215.190 05:34, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I'll go with that brain 09:57, 2 May 2007 (UTC)
 * I came onto this discussion page solely to make sure someone had made this point. Please, someone cleanup the unintelligible grammar on this whole page!  --Mrcolj 22:34, 14 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I'll clean up as much as possible right now, but in the future please make your incremental clean-ups to the article rather than simply requesting others do the work for you. Wikipedia is based on a community effort!  brain 09:57, 2 May 2007 (UTC)

Wikiproject Law?
I don't see what yo-yos have to do ,mnkjyugoipxijfkuyio;jnybcgil7iukcjvhigfyopsituelk;jdbfxctupiesjhbgoyfx8c9iupsldkzbhuitegyuopd;vlkjihbguaeyr8df9y0epuihkzd8oiugt79 law. At the top of this talk page there's a WP Law tag which I see no reason for.--h i s  s p a c e   r e s e a r c h 18:27, 16 March 2007 (UTC)
 * its possible someone added it due to the landmark trademark case involving the term yo-yo. See Donald Duncan. --popefauvexxiii 02:08, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

A weapon or not?
The article says: "There is no conclusive documented evidence that the yo-yo is derived from, nor even existed in any form intended for use as a weapon." And it also says: "Yo-yos were originally used as weapons by the indiginous inhabitants of the Philippine archipelago."

Which is it? 83.245.172.78 05:32, 21 April 2007 (UTC)

I think it's safe to put our foot down and say that yoyos were originally used as weapons by philippines. Jackson Smith 21:30, 27 April 2007 (UTC)

I'm not sure exactly how these were used as weapons, but I'm certainly aware of a way of making a yoyo a pretty lethal if inaccurate projectile. If you put enough spin on it, lift it up into the air, then do a half-loop by dropping your arm under the yoyo and thrusting it forwards in a hard underarm motion, the yoyo will catch the string with such grip and accelleration that you can then let go of the string (otherwise, it will just snap under the force and practically rip your finger off in the process!), and fly forwards along the tangent of the loop for several hundred feet. I once got into a lot of trouble by smashing a yoyo through the ceiling plaster into the attic with this technique. --MeteoriK 14:57, 7 May 2007 (UTC)


 * OK, I guess I really do need to source this well, because it keeps getting muddled as a result of careless edits. this is how i understand it, and originally wrote it. Yo-yos have never been used as weapons as far as any historian knows. the IDEA of using a yo-yo as a weapon is just that: an obviously intuitive idea... in my research i found an interesting side point that in the phillipines, the same place where the modern yo-yo evolved, the natives used a method of hunting which involved throwing rocks from trees to kill prey. they would attach ropes to the rocks for retrieval, but there was no yo-yo effect per se--some people might consider a rock with a rope attached a kind of "caveman yo-yo," but thats like calling a club a "caveman sword." maybe they got the idea from yo-yos, maybe the yo-yo was a sophisticated variant on this idea, or maybe they were two totally separate but similar things that happened to develop in the same area and the confusion between the two created the legend, but Yo-yos have never been used as a weapon any time in recorded history. --popefauvexxiii 09:06, 17 May 2007 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the analysis - I should probably point out I never said that my random-direction flying lethal yoyo-trick was likely to be the way that a yoyo would ever have been used as a weapon. I certainly wouldn't use it in a fight for fear of hitting an innocent bystander and having the shit kicked out of me by both my assailant and a friend of the person who just got hit in the head by an indirectible yoyo projectile.  I never got that yoyo that smashed someone's ceiling back.  Then again, it's probably highly trivial, but it may be relevant to the article for me to describe how a yoyo can be an utterly useless and indescriminate weapon, even for humour's sake.  I can't do justice to explain how hard you can throw these things.


 * Uhh... one year later Pepsi releases a Mountain Dew commercial that yo-yos were originally used as weapons. What are the odds? Anyway, there are TONS of sources that say yo-yos were used as weapons in the Phillipines. There are also sources saying that the yo-yo is the world's second oldest known toy (doll being the first). Just look up yo-yo weapon. I believe that this should be added.--132.198.252.6 (talk) 04:54, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Add the info in, along with a citation of a reliable supporting source. A Pepsi mountain dew commercial would not meet the supporting source reliability criteria, but if there is a reliable supporting source among those tons of sources, cite it. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 10:57, 27 February 2008 (UTC)
 * There is a new internet video around, like the Mountain Dew commercial, but these actors do an amazing martial arts scene using the yo-yo's string, axle, and the looping tricks to fight a guy with a sword. The moves of the fight using the yo-yo look very stylized and they make it look like the yoyo could be a real weapon.Johnlycos (talk) 04:50, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

Hi. I'm new here. I found sources stating the idea of yo-yos as weapons in the Phillipines is false. I cited the sources. My contribution was removed, and I restored it. Ok? (Les Descuzette (talk) 09:39, 12 March 2008 (UTC))
 * If no one minds if I chime in on the topic, I'd like to say I appreciate the way it's written right now. It's not usually appropriate for Wikipedia articles to state unproven claims or get involved with disagreements but since this is such a common and significant (untrue) fact I appreciate both sides of the argument being mentioned and with no assertion as to which is correct and I think we should leave it at that. Dancindazed (talk) 09:39, 4 September 2011 (UTC)

Why is an important chunk missing?
I'm not a pro at this stuff so i'd like to make a request. There is no page for the Duncan yoyo company. There is a page for the founder and toy that he produced, but no page about the company. Can someone please create a Duncan Yoyo page about the company? I'll add some stuff if someone can get it started. Please and Thank you, Jackson Smith 21:28, 27 April 2007 (UTC)
 * Her you go: Duncan Toys Company.  brain 06:06, 11 May 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. Now if everyone is reading this, it would be nice if you could help out too :) Jackson Smith

Ancient origins
Since this section is a complete and total mess, I've opted to remove it entirely, and slowly re-add material from it as credible sources reveal themselves. Please do not add material without citations. Thanks! brain 20:36, 12 May 2007 (UTC)

The toy has spread throughout Asia (Chinese yo-yo) and Europe via trade routes, and is known to have enjoyed periods of popularity in Scotland, England, India, and even Egypt. The emigrette gained particular notoriety in the western world during the French revolution; it was seen as a welcome source of relief from stress.

There are museums with yo-yos from 400-500 bc. These are from Greece. They may also appear in ancient Egyptian drawings. The yo-yos may have been used as toys, as well as given as offerings for their rights of passage into adulthood. There are yo-yos from this era made from metal, wood, and even clay.

Yo-yos would develop for a time in the South China Sea near their hypnotical point of origin before being imported across the Pacific and gaining popularity commercially in the New World to become an international phenomenon.

Yo-yos were originally used as weapons by the indigenous inhabitants of the Philippine archipelago. Originally constructed from wild boar sinew and papaya tree wood the outer edge of these ancient yo-yos were carved into teeth, which ensured maximum damage, but made the return catch particularly hazardous. When Captain Cook arrived in the Philippines in the 1500s he is said to have remarked, "Nowhere have I seen a people so devoted to the mastery of a weapon so useless."

There is no conclusive documented evidence that the yo-yo is derived from, nor even existed in any form intended for use as a weapon. Generating enough force to create a fatal blow with a yo-yo would also be difficult because as the toy is reaching the end of the string it is slowing down. This rumour was possibly started by Tom Ives, Duncan's PR man in the 1930s. There is speculation that he created the weapon myth during the 1930s fad for the publicity. Another origin may have been stories of hunters in the Philippines in the 16th century using sharp rocks with strings attached to kill prey from trees. The development of the modern yo-yo began in the Philippines at around this time, which is probably the source of the confusion.


 * I'll sort it out when i get the chance. part of this is stuff that I wrote before the source inquisition, and the sources used to be in the external links, but now, who knows. as for the rest, if you're new to this article, be warned: its a prepubescent content magnet. the sheer volume of nonsense that it attracts will likely overwhelm you to the point of surrender. I thought about protection for this article, but part of its charm is that it's the first introduction that a lot of school-aged kids have to concept of open content. it'll really take an organized and concerted effort to maintain it. are you up for it? --popefauvexxiii 08:56, 17 May 2007 (UTC)

Hello right i disagree with the plastic wood thing i have tried many plastic yo yos and they were awful.Then i got  a free wooden one and it works a treat.Aaaaaaaaand my da is a yo yo king and he only ever had a wooden one. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.16.31.188 (talk) 18:36, 9 October 2007 (UTC)

Explaining various changes
I've edited this section today as follows: -- Boracay Bill (talk) 04:47, 18 February 2008 (UTC)
 * 1) I've changed "whirligig" (incorrect) to "bandalore" (correct) and recast the inline link to the patent as a citation of a supporting source.
 * 2) I've added a supporting cite for the Greek terra-cotta yo-yos c.500 bce which provides additional info and photos.
 * 3) I've changed "usually credited" to "often credited". An alternative might be to qualify "usually" with "in the U.S."
 * 4) I've changed Filipino language to Tagalog language, since the Filipino language dates back probably only to sometime subsequent to 1973 (the best date is probably 1986, but arguments could be made for dating it earlier).
 * 5) I've tagged mention of the allegedly Tagalog word tayoyo as dubious as my 1583-page Tagalog-English dictionary don't mention the term and my 1211-page English-Tagalog dictionary doesn't list it among its five translations of the term spin (these are the Fr. Leo English dictionaries), and my Tagalog-fluent wife does not know the term.  My guess is that Joe Radovan, the Filipino founder of Royal Tops, may have coined the word himself in order to argue in the trademark suit that the term yo-yo derived from a generic Tagalog word. (this is what led me to this page, the other changes are incidental)
 * 6) I've tagged the assertion that term tayoyo comes from a dictionary of Tagalog words printed in 1860 as cn (changed from "Filipino words", since such a dictionary would predate the creation of the Filipino language by more than a hundred years).
 * 7) I've added a supporting cite for the Pedro Flores info.
 * 8) I've moved the info about the trademark suit out of the 1940s "Duncan era" section and into the "1960s resurgence" section.
 * 9) I've corrected the info about the suit (Duncan sued Royal, not the other way around).
 * 10) I've eliminated the term "Royal yo-yo", as all references which I've found to the suit referred to the Royal Tops Manufacturing Company. I've cited a source which provides some info about Royal Tops and the suit.
 * 11) Regarding the ruling on the suit, I've changed "Supreme Court" to New York Supreme Court and cited that 6th Circuit ruling.

There's such a term as Tayoyo (with close terms such as Tayoyok which means spinning and Yokyok/Yogyog which means pendulating) in Bicol and Waray languages. In Tagalog there's "Toyo" (i.e. "May toyo ang utak" meaning "twisted brain"). So i would definitely agree "Yoyo" may have been derived from Tayoyo or similar words. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 203.192.171.190 (talk) 04:35, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Yo-Yo Ball
Could someone add the Yo-Yo Ball? It was released in the 90s as a "beginner's yo-yo", designed to "always come back to you". 76.126.29.36 (talk) 00:43, 23 February 2008 (UTC)
 * Find me a reference and I'll add it. User:Pedant (talk) 06:15, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
 * YouTube Yo Yo Ball Commercial, Govt notice: Deadly Yo Yo Ball banned, The bill to ban the sale of Water yo-yo's in the state of New Jersey was signed into law today, January 3rd, 2008, by Governor Jon Corzine!!, etc. -- Boracay Bill (talk) 08:08, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

The Yo-Yo Ball and the questionable Yo-Yo "Water" Ball are two different products and should not be confused. The Yo-Yo Ball is a spring loaded yo-yo with a plastic cover that automatically retracts when it's thrown. These are still available in most "big box" stores. The "Water" ball is an elastic "glorified" water balloon on an elastic tether. --Wildjimbo (talk) 20:32, 23 July 2008 (UTC)

Minor cleanup
Removed the text added by 24.149.132.35. The "== YO YOS ROCK ..." stuff adds nothing to the article.

I've also added this page to WikiProject Toys Oldiesmann (talk) 17:29, 29 March 2008 (UTC)

1990s fad???
I added the yo-yo to the 1990s fads category and it was taken off. I know they were invented way before the 1990s, but the yo-yo is definitely a pop culture signature of the 1990s. Taking the yo-yo off of the 1990s fads category is like saying Alternative rock or the Skateboarding revival wasn't popular in the 1990s. It should be noted as a 90s fad. (Tigerghost (talk) 04:14, 5 April 2008 (UTC))
 * Maybe we need a new category for Recurring fads to include things like pogo stick, yoyo, skateboard, hula hoop (or just hooping, whatever it's called now)... Solution to having yoyo removed from 90's fad category:  cite references that it was a 90's fad when adding it back to the category. User:Pedant (talk) 06:14, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

First USA Patent
Altered the description to make it more clear that the patent was for an improved bandelore.

The first USA patent is ambiguous if one of the co-signers was Charles Hettrich or Hettrick. The figure page is clearly titled as "Haven & Hettrich". But, the patent letters page clearly shows James L. Haven and Charles Hettrick. Altered to show the ambiguity.

Is there any information that can be cited to show if the device was marketed as a Whirligig?

ElWet (talk) 08:59, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

No Category?
Until now this article was in no category and had not been for some time I entered it into Category:Physical activity and dexterity toys Carlwev (talk) 16:24, 10 May 2008 (UTC)
 * That's an excellent choice! User:Pedant (talk) 06:08, 2 June 2008 (UTC)

Legal Name
I've moved the trademark discussion out of "history," because it's really a history of the Duncan company, and of the word "yo-yo," not really about Yo-yo's themselves. Please don't take this personally; I think this is important information... just not in the History section.

In 1962 Duncan sued a rival yo-yo manufacturer, the Royal Manufacturing Company, claiming trademark infringement. In 1965, New York Supreme Court ruled in Royal's favor, finding that the term Yo-Yo had become a Genericized trademark. In the decision, the court cited the sign as referring to Luck as the 'Yo-yo capital of the world'. If Yo-yo was a trademark Duncan should have insisted the sign read 'Home of the Yo-yo brand return top' or similar words that reinforced Duncan's claim that Yo-yo was a brand name and not a generic term. Interestingly, Duncan had purchased the Canadian Yo-yo company Cheerio in 1954. Al Gallo, Cheerio's principal demonstrator, had already bought Cheerio's right to the Yo-yo trademark in Canada. Gallo formed National Yo-yo and Bo-lo Company after leaving Cheerio. In a similar suit, the Canadian Supreme Court decided in National's favor. The term Yo-yo is still a trademark in Canada. Al Gallo sold his company to Parker Brothers in 1978. Hired as a consultant by Parker Brothers, Gallo continued as a demonstrator into early 1981. Lee Thurber, Craig Hamilton (also known as writer Stash Cairo), Harry Lee and Coogan Wilson were some of the final demonstrators for Parker before Parker sold their rights to the trademark in Canada in 1982.

I recommend:
 * cleaning the language up a bit. Example: starting a sentence with "if Yo-yo..." = not so great
 * relocating to the Duncan company article
 * alternately, making a new section about the word Yo-yo

brain (talk) 20:58, 15 August 2008 (UTC)

canadian
I think it is of vital importance to note that Al Gallo is responsible for inventing/creating most tricks done with the yo-yo in Canada. Verification audio interview with my great uncle himself and stuart mclean can be found here, as well as some other points of interest about the yo-yo (interview with Al starts at 18:17): http://www.cbc.ca/player/Radio/Rewind/2012/ID/2243679662/?sort=MostPopular Thanks.99.242.122.92 (talk) 21:18, 26 April 2013 (UTC)

Free coca-cola advertisement??
Change the picture at the top of the page please. The fact that coca cola has a yoyo in the 60's is completely irrelevant to the topic of this page. In fact, its free advertisement and does not belong here. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.194.128.6 (talk) 12:49, 16 August 2008 (UTC)
 * Currently, all of the other images on the page either do not show the yo-yo itself clearly, or depict a specific part of the yo-yo or a specific type. As such, none of them would be appropriate for use as the first image, which ought to illustrate the general appearance of a yo-yo without such specific focuses. If you have another image that is of similar educational value in showing what a typical yo-yo looks like without containing a product logo, please feel free to upload it. I doubt that a faded and slightly damaged old toy is really going to influence anyone's opinion of the Coca-Cola brand, but if it concerns you, I doubt anyone would object to a replacement image of equal or higher quality. (Just be sure that any image you are inclined to upload is not under copyright first). --Icarus (Hi!) 16:43, 16 August 2008 (UTC)

origin of the name section
I can't help but notice this section of the article doesn't actually mention the origin of the name. Did it get lost in an edit? I can't find the origin of the term anywhere in the article.--70.241.195.23 (talk) 01:46, 23 August 2008 (UTC)

Somebody please report the rude guy
Who edited this article like it is? Please change it someone and report the writer. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Ozzmandozz (talk • contribs) 15:19, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

I KNOW HEY SOO RUDE! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 142.244.151.13 (talk) 23:05, 23 March 2010 (UTC)

Farhia TheHustla Aden
University student at the university of Alberta, Farhia grew up a modest life. Originally chillin with Biggie Smalls and Tupac, Farhia learned the ways of rap through gang violence, drugs, and hijabless good times. Born in a family of 12, this party animal immediately realized that her passion was to extort the weak, make sick rhymes, and enjoy life to the fullest. She grew up in a broken home, but learned to cope with life through rebellion, determination, and the fact that she had ADD.

Later in life, she rolled with a crew of girls who she saw to be real badass. Now since this is an article about yo yo's, I will mention that Farhia loves yo yo's and used to steal yo yos for a living. However, this is a different story. Let's get into the real story shall we:

Early Life

Gifted, Talented, and Prodigy. These are just the few words that have absolutely nothing to do with Farhia. She was a hustla from birth. In the hospital, Farhia found the other babies loud and annoying as they cried. She once told the baby next to her to "shut up." Once the baby refused, Farhia threatened to "pop a cap in his ass." Her favorite childhood "games" were: cops and robbers, somali pirates (possible career path), and chess.

Present Day

Farhia now works at your local Home depot as a street tough. You can see her sometimes when the moon is full and the gangs are out. If you get in her way and she is about to mess you up, I find that the best way to avoid getting popped is to stop, drop and roll.

Until next time, remember, drive slow homie! —Preceding unsigned comment added by Hustleradenyehyeh (talk • contribs) 22:35, 14 April 2009 (UTC)

1980s Are Not 1970s!
I'm afraid this section in falling into the bizarre waters occasionally encountered in Wikipedia - that of calling 1960s and 1980s events "1970s". The section "The 1970s and The Rise Of The Ball Bearing" features developments from the early 1980s. I corrected this section to "1970s and 1980s: Innovations" but somebody immediately reverted it. 1980 is NOT the 1970s. I have corrected the article again.

(Solidsandie (talk) 12:30, 25 March 2010 (UTC))

Calling The 1980s "1970s" In Wikipedia Articles
The reality is that SKF produced the first yo yos with a ball bearing mechanism in 1984 -

http://yoyowiki.org/wiki/SKF

The Wikipedia article here incorrectly read "in the 1970s". I have corrected it.

This is such a strange trend, and does crop up elsewhere on Wikipedia. There seems to be at work some kind of rewriting of pop culture history. The 1970s are often substituted for the 1980s in the area of pop culture trends/innovations. Perhaps this is because the 1980s are an era considered politically controversial/distasteful by certain writers (the era of the Margaret Thatcher/Ronald Reagan administrations). But whatever the reason, rewriting pop culture history is not acceptable in Wikipedia or in any other on-line resource.

(Solidsandie (talk) 12:59, 25 March 2010 (UTC))

arbitrary sentence about rocks on ropes
I understand that it sprung from a compromise on saying yo-yos were used at weapons, but rocks tied to ropes have nothing to do with yo-yos unless it's going to be written that this is where the weapon confusion comes from, and even then I don't think the debate itself has place on the wikipedia page. So just mentioning that Filipinos used rocks tied to ropes is just arbitrary and a non sequitur to a reader not knowing the previous debate on the yo-yo as a weapon, so I deleted that sentence. Dancindazed (talk) 04:21, 7 September 2011 (UTC)

Swedish Connection to Wooden toys
Hi Brian I am sure that no one has at all mentioned the Elfverson Company and the Sweden stamp connection to the yo-yo. I have several of these and they are stamped with the word Sweden on one side. Since they have always made good and historical wooden toys in Sweden. There are good links to this company. please see the following pages http://www.elfverson.se/English.htm http://www.elfverson.se/trissan/Canada.htm http://kwos.ca/yoyo-reviews/reviews-yoyo-canadaolympic.htm

Let's start here, Al Gallo from Toronto Ontario who was a champion demonstrator with Cheerio in the 50's and then joined DUNCAN in the 60's after Duncan bought out Cheerio in Canada , after all the lawsuits got settled and the yoyo trade mark became Canadian property , Al Gallo left DUNCAN and formed National YOYO COMPANY IN TORONTO ONTARIO --national developed the OLYMPIC YOYO , THE JEWELED YOYO, with 3 and 4 studs , as well as the metal Shrieker yoyo plus others ,he also started to use ELFVERSON CO od SWEDEN TO MANUFACTURE wood yoyos , since Duncan went bankrupt because of the trademark lawsuits etc , he ran the company successfully till 1978 , and then sold the company and trademark ( YOYO ) to PARKER BROS , in Concord Ontario who continued the Sweden connection for several years. Al Gallo was retained by PARKER BROS TILL 1984 as a consultant and demonstrator, then he retired ...also as stated below , i happen to be one of those kids that won a local yoyo contest that was being run at local stores and schools etc ...and was lucky enough to be presented with my championship sweater from Mr Uncle Al GALLO himself , as we all called him ...i still have my sweater , and all the badges and the yoyo i won from him ......my name is Jack from toronto Onrio .. , if anyone wants to discuss further ...post a way for contact. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.143.168.58 (talk) 20:30, 29 January 2024 (UTC)

This outlines how the brand changed between Parker Brothers Company and Canada Games. It wouldn't hurt to have a section that tracks the name Yo-Yo through all of the different brands. Many collectors may find it useful to know what company made it at what time.

I recently took out all my collection of Yo-Yos to look for identifying marks and am so confused about them. Two are marked "Original Pro Yo-Yo Top Tournament Genuine" and is stamped "Sweden" on the back. These two are quite old and are from the 1970's.

A newer one purchased in the late 1980's has lights in side is marked "Light-UP Yo-Yo Top Canada Games" and is also has "1986 Billco Ind Co. Ltd. all rights reserved Made in China".

I Recently (Jan 2012) purchased a Chinese made "Authentic Slick Yo-Yo Top/Toupe Authentique" at a store. I am not sure of its maker.

When in school back in the 1970's I remember Champion players used to be around our school yard displaying tricks and at the stores. I also recall talks about what was an authentic Yo-Yo. Duncan at that time was a competing company for the Yo-Yo company in the 1970's. As things change one company buys the other. Many brand names have become extinct over time. How ever for historical purposes it is important to get the history straight.

There has to be some sort of reference to Sweden and Swedish manufacturers of it because there is a missing link as it is stamped on most of my yo-yos

odd as it is http://www.yoyowiki.org/wiki/History_of_the_yo-yo talks about a Philipean connection but again no mention of Sweden.

Any Discussions welcome. Thanks regards Rick M - ADogNamedGromit — Preceding unsigned comment added by ADogNamedGromit (talk • contribs) 01:04, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Here is additional information that I have found in a book on my shelf. Printed by the Canadian company "Canada Games Company Ltd" Purchased around 1991. This would also imply a Canadian connection. Although through history many different people may have made the toy itself. Separately many people may have held the patient for it or/an the Rights to the name. I believe that they are all different. One should try to track the many streams of toy Idea and handle the patient/name rights separately. I agree with you to allow the history present itself. I believe that a Swedish company made the toys for the Canada Games Company who held the rights to the name at the time. All patient issues aside there may be other Swedish companies or other companies that also made a similar toy with out the Yo-Yo Brand Name as I see many similar products on the store shelf's. The name Yo-Yo is synonymous with this toy just as Kleenex is synonymous with Tissue as an example.

I will add my bit here. Inside the book Yo-Yo Official trick book is a bit of the history that must have been researched from the Then owner of the name "Yo-Yo"

Thanks Rick M AdogNamedGromit

 — Preceding unsigned comment added by ADogNamedGromit (talk • contribs) 03:18, 8 January 2012 (UTC)

Sorry I am having difficulty with adding photos to wikipedia to support what I wrote here. I have photos and can email them to anyone. IF some one wants them email me at axisrm@gmail.com One image is a scan from a Canadian Yo-yo manual and outlines the history of the yo-yo a bit. Valuable info I think. Thanks Rick Marmei axisrm@gmail.com ADogNamedGromit  — Preceding unsigned comment added by ADogNamedGromit (talk • contribs) 20:37, 13 January 2012 (UTC)

yo-yo versus yoyo
The correct term seems to be "yo-yo". Is the term "yoyo" ever acceptable as an alternate spelling of the word yo-yo? I ask because "yoyo" appears several times in this article. When part of a website name or something like that, it is totally appropriate, but "yoyo" is used several times in the general sense. Should we change each such "yoyo" to "yo-yo"? Adammanifold (talk) 15:28, 11 January 2012 (UTC)

"playing yo-yo"?
Is this idiomatic in any native variety of English? I have only heard of "playing with a yo-yo," never "playing yo-yo." (This would make "yo-yo" seem to be the name of a game.) Kostaki mou (talk) 17:12, 26 August 2015 (UTC)

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Contemporary culture - section revision
The illustrations are from 2004. Since these pictures are twelve years old, I believe it is appropriate to update them. Do you agree? Gordon410 (talk) 14:47, 20 July 2016 (UTC)

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Not a weapon!
After reading this article’s history and the above (#19, #21), I have decided the following to be true (with a % confidence);


 * The yo-yo was never a weapon, let alone a deadly weapon (96%).
 * The word yo-yo is “Philippine”: from “tayoyo” northern Philippines, Ilokano; it is not Filipino (or Tagalog) central Philippines (96%).
 * Its origin was China (50%). The oldest evidence is Greece (as per current article).

I wish this could be sourced (adequately) for the article. And how the “weapon myth” developed. MBG02 (talk) 11:16, 12 August 2018 (UTC)

"associated with Japanese culture, because it is very popular in China."
Hi, part of the text says "It was known in ancient Greece, but it is often associated with Japanese culture, because it is very popular in China.". Is this in error, should it say "very popular in Japan"? Or what's the correlation? 91.152.123.249 (talk) 01:44, 14 August 2018 (UTC)

Types

 * Western yo-yo
 * Chinese yo-yo (not diabolo, as diabolo is the European descendant of the Chinese yo-yo )
 * Paper yo-yo Setenzatsu (talk) 18:31, 22 May 2019 (UTC)

verification lacking
"usually the middle or ring finger"- Says who? What about the index finger? A citation is needed. Kdammers (talk) 13:47, 19 November 2023 (UTC)


 * it is most optimal to use the middle finger for yo yoing instead of the index finger. 149.19.43.58 (talk) 00:22, 23 January 2024 (UTC)
 * https://forums.yoyoexpert.com/t/which-finger-do-you-put-your-loop-on/47351/7 link here for some proof 149.19.43.58 (talk) 00:25, 23 January 2024 (UTC)