Yo-yo

Yo-Yo Stuff

A Brief History

Yo-Yo is a name that originated in the Phillipines, and in their language (tagalog) the word means "come back", but it seems as though we have always known it as yo-yo, but the ancient greeks knew it as a "disc" and have paintings to prove it, which show the first yo-yo's were made from Terracotta (fire dried clay). During the 18th century the English referred to it as "Quiz" or "Bandalore" and some of our novelists mention it frequently, and the French welcomed it as L'Emigrette and placed in in lithographs and paintings. All of the originals are immediately recognizable, all of them go up and down, up and down, to the enormous delight of children and adults alike

In the late 1920's, when Donald F.Duncan,Sr, was introduced to the toy in California, he was fascinated by it and saw its potential as a wonderful item for kids of all ages. He developed a marketing plan and went into business, permanently changing the experience of yo-yo for everybody. In the early 1930's the craze swept the United States and Europe.

After World War II, it re-appeared and was welcomed like a long lost relative. In the years since, yo-yo has been embraced by people of all ages, it has been analyzed by physicists fascinated by the perfection of its mechanical function, by doctors who recognized its potential to improve one's hand and eye co-ordination and reflexes, and engineers who have always understood yo-yo's basic operation yet cannot help but wonder how to improve it. Today, the yo-yo is as new as it is securely the same, Today, this marvel of engineering, this refinement of the flywheel, is the only universally known and loved toy which identifies itself the moment someone uses it.

Picture Credits - Some of the pictures on this site were used with the kind permission of David Capurro.

My Yo-Yo's

At the moment I own 23 yo-yo's , these are as follows :-

A). Playmaxx Turbo Bumble Bee x 2.

B). Playmaxx Turbo Bumble Bee GT x 2.

C). Proyo 2 x 4.

D). Proyo 3 x 2.

E). Proyo Ace.

F). Yomega RBII - best looper.

G). Yomega Powerspin x 2 (Converted into two more RBII's)

H). Duncan Butterfly.

I). Dave Capurro SpinFaKtor x 2 - No words can describe this yo-yo's performance, except Ultimate !.

J). Duncan Freehand 2 - Great yoyo designed by Steve Brown.

K). Super Yo Renegade = Lovely!

L). Duncan Speed Beetle - A good looper but a bit too responsive for me! - Thanks Paula xxx.

M). Yoyojam Mini Motrix - Fantastic yoyo.

N). Yomega Strobe Yo - Eye Candy!

O). Duncan Throwmonkey - My current favourite!.

MANUFACTURERS SITES.

YO-YO LINKS

Check out Peter's site for some brilliant prices on all sorts of skill toys, especially the yoyo section.

Church Of Yo - Take a look at Rob's site for some great yo reviews and pics from the "99" Nationals, this site is under some major reconstruction at the mo, so check back often for updates.

String Cemetery - This is one of the best sites on the net where people such as Cappy, Blake and Jazz post videos on how to do certain tricks and it also has some great footage of some serious freestyle routines. Check out the face archive if you fancy a chuckle !!...

UK Web Board - Want any questions answering or having trouble getting any info on yo-yoing in general ?, then look no further than the web board, filled to the hilt with all sorts of questions and answers, plus regular postings from Jazz, Rob, Richie, Martin and many more.

Cosmic's Yo-Yo Tricks - A fantastic site to learn every possible Yo-Yo trick in the book, whether you are a beginner or a Pro Spinner.

Ken's World On A String - This is a great site for tricks as well, but Ken has actually managed to put some of them on his site in video format, and there are also some easy to follow trick drawings as well.

Shawn Fumo - Check out Shawn's site for all the help you ever needed about looping and some other tricks, it certainly helped me a lot. You can also check out some fantastic videos that he has by clicking this link - Shawn's Vids. Some of the vids are quite large in size, but well worth the download time.

Yo-Yo UK - A great site where you can get all sorts of info on Yomega yo-yo's and all the stores in the UK that stock them. It also has tips about yo-yo maintenance and some great pictures on how to do the tricks that will help you obtain your Tricknology card.

Sector Y - Cit's site is a must visit if you want some help on how to learn tricks, either in video or sketch format. The freestyle routines that he has filmed are pretty large in size, but are well worth the download time.

Hardee's Spin Mania - Take a look at Hardee's site for some great reviews on yo-yo's and he also has some excellent pics on various stages on how to complete some of the more complicated tricks.

Airtime - This shop in Exeter is owned by Richie Windsor ( Author of two of the best trick books around, Splitting The Atom & The Hydrogen Bomb ) it's where you can pick up some fantastic deals on Yo-Yo's and all the different accessories that you will need to buy, some excellent prices which represent great value for money.

Dave Capurro - Dave has got to be one of the craziest people on Planet Earth !!, but what a player. Just go and take a look at Dave's page and checkout some of his yoyo videos. The speed of play in some of these really has to be seen to be believed.

Dave's Wonderful World Of Yo-Yo's - Check out Dave's store for some great yoyo offers, and the home of one of the best message boards on the web.

Yo Gallery - Click to see the full size image.

A - Jazz Arshad - where the hell have you got to??????

B - Mark doing rock the baby on the eiffel tower.

C - Dave Capurro, top player and a crazy guy !.

D - James Appleby, Winner of the 1998 UK Championships, and a brilliant freestyler.

E - Gabriel Lozano, A.KA. Cit. check out the link above for Sector Y for some of the best vids on the net, freestyles and trick help.

F - Rob Bell, Chief Minister at the Church of Yo !.

G - Hardee, Sam, Jazz and Craig at the "99" UK Nationals.

H - Steve Brown , A brilliant freehand yoyo player, and not bad with a top either !.

I - Rick Wyatt ,World sleep record holder.

J- Paul Escolar, A.K.A Spikeyhairedfreak, one of the fastest players I've ever seen.

For Mum - August 8th 1939 - July 20th 2006.