tiltjlp
PN co-founder
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2003
- Messages
- 3,403
- Reaction score
- 145
- Points
- 65
- Favorite Pinball Machine
- Flying Trapeze 1934
Almost every day was special for a youngster growing up in the Cincinnati, Ohio neighborhood of Fairmount back in the late 40s and 50s. Summers were filled with fun and games, and there were circus parades, 4th of July picnics, vendors of all sorts with their horse-drawn carts, and even in the fall, the arrival of the dump truck laden with coal for a warm and cozy winter. But maybe the most special day of all was when the Duncan Yoyo Champions came to our neighborhood street corner.
The mid 50s was the end of the Duncan Yoyo Champion era, so I never knew the full glory of it. But that occasion sure helped increase sales of Duncan Yoyos like nothing else ever could have. Every summer, probably starting in the mid 30s, Duncan would hire men, and even some young women, from across the country, who were experts with the yoyo, to go into neighborhoods and put on Duncan Yoyo demonstrations. Newspaper and radio ads promoted these live events for two weeks in advance.
Boys and girls from four years old to teens would save all of their allowances for that special day, usually on some Saturday. And these Duncan Yoyo Days lasted all day. First the Duncan Yoyo Champions, who traveled in pairs, would give every boy and girl a pack of yoyo string. The string was the unwaxed kind, but hey, it was free.
And while one of the Champions would be doing all of the newest tricks, the other one would give us the history of the yoyo. Although it might have only been a story, we were told that the yoyo was originally a weapon. They would tell us all about the Duncan Yoyo factory, and even had a nifty display of old Duncan Yoyos. And then the fun was ready to begin. Either using Duncan Yoyos we already had, or after buying the new models, everyone took part in yoyo contests, divided by age groups. Each of the best Duncan Yoyo’ers won Deluxe Duncan Yoyos. Even kids from the poorest of families could afford to buy at least one yoyo. Most of us though, either bought several models, or splurged on a Deluxe Duncan Yoyo.
But Duncan Yoyo also had another gimmick, the string. They sold two kinds of it, a basic, inexpensive string that sold 3 for a dime, and a special one that was waxed, which not only lasted longer, but helped you do more of the tricks of the trade, and it sold 2 for fifteen cents. For weeks after Duncan Yoyo Day, all of us kids held our own competition, and nearly every store that sold Duncan Yoyos stocked up on string, and probably doubled their Duncan Yoyo orders. And while we all still played pinball, and bought our soda pop and Cracker Jack, most of our money and attention for the entire summer was focused on Duncan Yoyos.
Now I was never very good with my Duncan Yoyo, but I still had fun trying. If memory serves me, the most I ever paid for a Genuine Duncan Yoyo was a quarter. Out of curiousity I searched the Internet, to see if Duncan Yoyo was still in business. Not only are they still in business, but their web site at www.yoyo.com offers both classic and some more updated models, and considering fifty years have flown by, prices are quite reasonable. I just might order a pair of the classics I played with as a boy, back in my own Good Old Days.
The mid 50s was the end of the Duncan Yoyo Champion era, so I never knew the full glory of it. But that occasion sure helped increase sales of Duncan Yoyos like nothing else ever could have. Every summer, probably starting in the mid 30s, Duncan would hire men, and even some young women, from across the country, who were experts with the yoyo, to go into neighborhoods and put on Duncan Yoyo demonstrations. Newspaper and radio ads promoted these live events for two weeks in advance.
Boys and girls from four years old to teens would save all of their allowances for that special day, usually on some Saturday. And these Duncan Yoyo Days lasted all day. First the Duncan Yoyo Champions, who traveled in pairs, would give every boy and girl a pack of yoyo string. The string was the unwaxed kind, but hey, it was free.
And while one of the Champions would be doing all of the newest tricks, the other one would give us the history of the yoyo. Although it might have only been a story, we were told that the yoyo was originally a weapon. They would tell us all about the Duncan Yoyo factory, and even had a nifty display of old Duncan Yoyos. And then the fun was ready to begin. Either using Duncan Yoyos we already had, or after buying the new models, everyone took part in yoyo contests, divided by age groups. Each of the best Duncan Yoyo’ers won Deluxe Duncan Yoyos. Even kids from the poorest of families could afford to buy at least one yoyo. Most of us though, either bought several models, or splurged on a Deluxe Duncan Yoyo.
But Duncan Yoyo also had another gimmick, the string. They sold two kinds of it, a basic, inexpensive string that sold 3 for a dime, and a special one that was waxed, which not only lasted longer, but helped you do more of the tricks of the trade, and it sold 2 for fifteen cents. For weeks after Duncan Yoyo Day, all of us kids held our own competition, and nearly every store that sold Duncan Yoyos stocked up on string, and probably doubled their Duncan Yoyo orders. And while we all still played pinball, and bought our soda pop and Cracker Jack, most of our money and attention for the entire summer was focused on Duncan Yoyos.
Now I was never very good with my Duncan Yoyo, but I still had fun trying. If memory serves me, the most I ever paid for a Genuine Duncan Yoyo was a quarter. Out of curiousity I searched the Internet, to see if Duncan Yoyo was still in business. Not only are they still in business, but their web site at www.yoyo.com offers both classic and some more updated models, and considering fifty years have flown by, prices are quite reasonable. I just might order a pair of the classics I played with as a boy, back in my own Good Old Days.
