Home of the National Yo-Yo Museum and National Yo-Yo League

This website exists with a heartfelt mission—to capture, preserve, and honor the rich history of the yo-yo. While we embrace other skill toys along the way, the yo-yo takes center stage as the world’s most beloved and timeless toy. It wasn’t until about 1950 that a breakthrough emerged within the Duncan team—someone conceived the idea of raised radially oriented ribs, known as the “starburst” design. This revolutionary feature redefined how yo-yos functioned, finally enabling plastic yo-yos to return reliably when thrown. Around the same time, another significant figure from France’s turbulent history, King Louis XVII, appears in a painting that offers a rare glimpse into this peculiar pastime.

Reach out to us anytime with your questions and thoughts at email protected. We’re thrilled to be part of your yo-yo journey and can’t wait to hear from you. Our centerpiece is Big-Yo, the scaled up working version of the iconic No-Jive 3-in-1 from Tom Kuhn. At 256 pounds, Big-Yo made it into the 1982 Guinness Book of World Records claiming the title of ‘Worlds Biggest Working Wooden Yo-Yo’.

• Also pictured are the screw, axle, and nut assembly from the Duracraft/Playmaxx version, as well as a wooden axle used by advanced players, which could be swapped for the standard brass axle.
• Because of this, I didn’t get to know Eddie well, but the memories I do have of him are still strong.
• By this time, the toy had picked up various names, including “bandalore” and “quiz,” a reflection of its popularity among all social classes.
• The future King Louis XVII was depicted in a painting, clutching his “l’emigrette”—a name derived from the French term for fleeing the country, symbolic of the aristocracy’s flight during the Reign of Terror.
• In the early days, our ancestors lived a simple yet challenging life, with most of their time focused on survival and very little dedicated to recreation.

Lots of great material in there right now from a wide variety of folks. Grahame (Chimera), the developer behind the site, has been kind enough to host the museum all these years and he’s the guy managing the backend and repository of images. Basically, all of us stay quiet, behind the scenes and let the exhibits do the talking. Featuring the worlds largest public display of yo-yos and yo-yo memorabilia, the National Yo-Yo Museum is free and open to the public seven days a week. Normal hours for the National Yo-Yo Museum are Monday through Saturday from 10am to 6pm, and 12pm to 5pm on Sundays. With an extensive yo-yo collection in hand and a dedicated curator program, our goal is to document every yo-yo, collectible, and piece of history we can find.

Museum of Yo-Yo History

October of 1998 brought yet another milestone with the launch of the Cold Fusion yo-yo, incorporating Playmaxx’s innovative Brake Pad technology. This premium aluminum yo-yo, priced at $150, far exceeded sales expectations, becoming one of the most coveted yo-yos of its time. Collectors and players alike marveled at its precision, beauty, and performance. Starbursts, those familiar nodules that provided extra grip and responsiveness, had been floating around for roughly 15 years by this time.

Actually, with the assistance of a large crane and a skilled operator, Big-Yo can successfully make its way up and down the string. Worst case you can use the waybackmachine site for viewing point in time snapshots of the site. I was going to send you the money but you told me to wait until you made it. I’ve attempted to buy other models from you in the past but my timing was poor. The museum is still added to regularly, @rickbr is the main guy keeping the exhibits coming.

It was this Filipino yo-yo that Pedro Flores brought to the U.S. in the 1920s. By 1928, Flores had founded the first yo-yo company in California. His yo-yos were unique, designed with a looped string around the axle, allowing for the now-famous “sleeping” motion that opened up endless trick possibilities. The word “yo-yo,” derived from the Filipino term meaning “come-come” or “to return,” marked the beginning of a new chapter for the toy. The yo-yo’s origins, much like its nature, are shrouded in mystery and motion.

National Yo-Yo Museum

At the request of the Duncan Yo-Yo Company, fearing brand confusion, the name was changed to “Duracraft.” This name stuck until 1988, when it evolved into Playmaxx, a name that endures to this day. Fast forward to 1934, another leap forward in yoyo design occurred thanks to E.S. Savage, who introduced the iconic “Rainbow” design, produced and sold by Duncan.

Fast forward to 1965, when Milton Isaacson followed suit by incorporating a ball bearing into a more traditional yoyo design. This subtle yet crucial enhancement cemented the ball bearing as a standard feature in advanced yoyos, further expanding the possibilities for players. Although Eddie didn’t work in Tulsa, where I lived, his territory seemed to be on the West Coast. And every time he visited, he would give me one—carved with my name on it.

According to local legend, there is a yo-yo from this time on display at the Anthropological Museum in Merida, located on the Yucatan Peninsula. This isn’t just a website—it’s a tribute to the enduring spirit of the yo-yo and the community that treasures it. With your help, this museum will evolve into an Encyclopedia of Yo-Yo History, preserving the magic for generations to come. This museum of vintage Yo-Yos, originally based on David Hall’s collection, offers dozens of pages of vintage Yo-Yos, with high res photos (often multiple views), text descriptions and specs. The site also offers a Yo-Yo memorabilia section with patches, photographs, some very cool pins, and more. Note that to see all the items in a given category (including the Yo-Yos themselves) you must use the pulldown menus and click browse, after you’ve entered the exhibits area.

Fast forward to 1765 India, and a hand-painted box featuring a girl in a red dress with her yo-yo marks the next known historical reference. From there, the toy traveled across continents and into the hands of the European aristocracy, gaining favor among the wealthy in Scotland, France, and England. In France, it even acquired political significance during the tumultuous times of the French Revolution. The future King Louis XVII was depicted in a painting, clutching his “l’emigrette”—a name derived from the French term for fleeing the country, symbolic of the aristocracy’s flight during the Reign of Terror. Yo-yos, often made of luxurious materials like ivory or glass, became tokens of an era, soothing the nerves of those who faced the guillotine. The motto, “Copied by many, duplicated by none,” speaks to the enduring influence of the theyoyomuseum.com ProYo.

History of the Yo-Yo – Tom Van Dan Elzen

When Playmaxx introduced the ProYo II in October 1996, it didn’t just replace its predecessor — it took the world by storm. The ProYo II quickly became the hottest selling high-performance yo-yo globally, gaining massive popularity in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, the United Kingdom, and across Europe. The patented axle design, which allowed for POGs (printed outer graphics) to be displayed on one side, was a masterstroke. This new axle was a marvel of engineering, combining the benefits of a traditional wooden yo-yo with the advantages of a modern, rim-weighted plastic shell. Maderas secured a patent for the “Adjustable String Gap” yoyo, allowing users more control over the string’s responsiveness—a feature that elevated the yoyo from simple toy to a more nuanced skill instrument.