Celebrate Yo-Yo Day Every June 6

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Do you Walk the Dog, Shoot the Moon or Hop the Fence? If so, you’ll probably enjoy this holiday, National Yo-Yo Day.

That’s right, that simple childhood toy, the yo-yo, has its very own day. Every June 6 yo-yos around the country start yo-yoing and doing tricks like Sleeper, Rock the Cradle and Around the World.

Of course, they don’t do this all on their own! Yo-yo enthusiasts (and nostalgia buffs, too) give them a hand (quite literally).

 

Yo-Yo Trivia

Yo-yos have been around at least since 500 BC in ancient Greece. A painting on a Greek vase from that year appears to show a boy with a yo-yo. It’s possible the Greeks invented the first yo-yo. They made theirs out of things like wood and metal. And they decorated them with pictures of their gods.

But they weren’t called yo-yos back then. What were they called? We’re not sure! But they have been called bandalores or quizzes over the years.

Yo-yos came to America much later. A man named Pedro Flores began making them here in 1923. He made the first ones by hand. But they were so popular he opened the first yo-yo factory a few years later.

Donald F. Duncan, Sr. bought Flores’ factory in 1930. Those first yo-yos were wooden. In 1955 he began making plastic ones.

Yo-yos reached the height of their popularity in the 1960s. But kids’ (and adults’) fascination with this deceptively simple toy never disappeared completely.

Even presidents played with yo-yos. Presidents Kennedy and Johnson played in the White House even!

Today we celebrate the yo-yo on June 6 because that was Mr. Duncan’s birthday. He was born June 6, 1892 in Kansas City, Missouri. At least, that’s what we think. Apparently nobody’s completely sure of his birth date (it might actually be June 8).

The material used to make yo-yos may have changed over the years, but the basic design hasn’t. A yo-yo is just two disks connected by an axle. A length of string winds around the axle, often with loop on one end to secure it around the user’s finger. That’s it! If you throw it right, the string unwinds and then rewinds, bringing the yo-yo back to your hand. Almost like magic!

Of course, some companies have added some bells and whistles, like ball bearings to help them work better. But purists can make the basic yo-yo do amazing things.

Did you know there’s a National Yo-Yo museum? Yes, really! In addition to yo-yo exhibits, it administers the National Yo-Yo League.

And last (but definitely not least), the world’s largest working yo-yo is 11 foot 10.75 inches big. Did we mention: It works!

Scroll down for some ideas on celebrating this unofficial holiday.

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Ideas For Celebrating National Yo-Yo Day

Play with your yo-yo, of course! Don’t have one? Buy one! There’s lots to choose from, in a variety of materials (plastic, metal and even wood). Prices generally range from about $5 to $20.

If your friends also yo-yo, have a Yo-Yo Party! Show off your skills. Or even have a Yo-Yo Competition. Have prizes.

Don’t know how to yo-yo? Learn!

Easy Yo-Yo Tricks shows you basic yo-yo techniques and easy tricks.

There’s also books to help you learn yo-yo tricks:

• Yo-Yo World Trick Book: Featuring 50 of the Most Popular Yo-Yo Tricks
• Duncan Yo Yo Trick Book

 

Need to get inspired? Watch some fancy yo yo work:

 

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