The Yo-Yo
Since it's first recorded existence in ancient Greece, the yo-yo has remained a popular toy through the ages. Initially made from clay discs, wood, metal or stone, this child's play thing was often reliquished to the Gods as part of a coming-of-age ceremony.
The next time we see a documented version of this plaything is in the 1700's. By 1791, the yo-yo, then known by a variety of names like the bandalore, quiz, incroyable, de Coblenz, emigrette and joujou de Normadie, was the must have toy for both the poor and rich alike, be they adults or children. It is even rumoured that Napoleon, to relieve stress, played with his bandalore, even taking it with him to Waterloo!
Like any popular past time, the yo-yo fell out of favour until the 1860's and then rising in popularity again in 1928, when Pedro Flores opened the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, CA. The toy was a huge success!
The Yo-Yo was trendy again in the 1960's and late 1990's.
No one really knows where the word yo-yo comes from but some suggest that it is Filipino in origin, others suggest that it is an English version of the French word joujou.
