People all around the world know about yo-yos and what they are. If you don’t, they are little discs and an axle attached to a string. 

The Yo-Yo’s origins are unclear; it may have either originated in Ancient Greece or early China. Yo-yos have been made from all kinds of materials from its origins to now such as clay, wood, glass, ivory, plastic, and metals.

 In late 18th century France, yo-yos were called ‘Joujou de Normandie’ and in England were called a ‘Bandalore’ or a quiz. Yo-yos became popular in the 1920s, when Pedro Flores started the Flores Yoyo company, the name yo-yo coming from the Filipino word meaning  “to return.” 

The Flores Yoyo company was bought from Flores in 1929 by Donald F. Duncan. He developed advertising, and sent out experts to do tricks in various parts of the U.S. and western Europe. Duncan trademarked the yo-yo in 1932, and held the world’s first yo-yo competition. Though by the 1960s, the yo-yo had reached the height of its popularity, yo-yos are still purchased and used often, and yo-yo competitions are still held each year, usually moving locations around the U.S. Yo-yos continue to be a well known and used toy, continuously evolving.