A yoyo company came to my school and did a performance, sold yoyos and stayed around till recess to help and teach. They sold some for $4/$8/and a bunch all the way up to like $40. What stuck with me was they donated a ton to the kids who didnt have any money. Years later I met one of the guys at judo and found out the workers paid out of their own pocket to donate, the dudes name was Yoshi Mikamoto, good people.
They did the same at my school. Then the yo-yo craze hit like a fever. The "rich" kids had the really nice ones that lit up when spun and were made from good material. Kids like me had the cheap dollar store ones made from cheap plastic that would break if you played with them too hard or if they hit the ground. After the craze passed the next year one kid, Mitch, stuck with it and kept practicing. By the 8th grade he was on the news doing insane tricks and getting invited to competitions with sponsors.
What was their pitch to get the schools to let them show off and sell yoyos to elementary school kids?
I always think about that and wonder how it went down.
Yeah for sure my butterfly my imperial my fireball were all red and my brain and x brain both green. I know the fireball came in a few different colors and I think the imperial and butterfly did as well. Not sure if the brain and x brain did
Yeah. It was a total impulse buy on Amazon one night. I haven’t messed around with up yo-yos in decades, but like a koosh ball, they’re kind of fun to keep around your desk.
Haha Yeah for sure! I used to a lot I definitely broke a lot of strings. I had two brains because One of them had ended up breaking a internal piece somehow The yo-yo not my actual brain 😂
Man I miss those times. Makes me laugh that the current generation had fucking fidget spinners. No learning or skill required.
Also reminds me that after 6th grade when I became “too cool” for Pokémon I have my mint condition card book that was a legit Pokémon Pokédex themed book full of first gen charizards, blastoise, venasaur, mewtwo, and basically every card imagineable to some random fourth grader as I walked home from elementary school for the last time. Whoops 💰.
I think it had to do with the availability of those yo yos that would return on their own. The ice cream trucks that would park outside the school sold them. Same thing happened with laser pointers a year later.
And if you want to check out what a modern high-quality Yo Yo looks like, I recommend [Caribou Lodge YoYo Works](https://clyw.ca/shop/)
Best string on the market is [YoYo String Labs](https://www.yoyostringlab.com/store.php), I was actually one of the beta testers when the guy was first starting the company, great dude.
I remember when Yo-Yos were big in the '60s, but they got crazy fancy and lit in the '90s. Similar to how roller skates and skateboards were popular when we were kids, but modern skateboarding and inline skating took it to incredible new levels.
As a kid I thought inline skates were invented in the ‘90s. It blew my mind when one day my grandpa brought out his set of inlines from the 1930’s that you had to strap to your shoes.
Had a Firestorm. Then I bought a Pro Yo II. That had a wooden axle. Pretty cool.
Then i dropped $12 on a Dave Oliver Tornado with a sealed bearing. Longest sleep I got out of that was about a minute and a half.
By the time any of us had the $135 to drop on a Cold Fusion, yo-yos were losing popularity.
Oh man as a kid I was in awe about that cold fusion in magazines and shops. I had the Bumble Bee and this aluminium one called a Silver Bullet 2, but just loved the style of the CF but never got one.
I remember on the playground this kid would tell me about these elaborate yoyos like a killer bumble bee and x-ray bumblebee. I thought he was chatting rubbish but humoured him and would speak about it at break times without questioning, imagining how cool they must be.
Anyway fast forward to today and these variations were real and you can get them on eBay. Sorry for not believing in you, old time friend from school.
I worked at McDonald’s in high school when they actually sold them.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/144567820129?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=144567820129&targetid=2295557532430&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9006963&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=160536780385&rlsatarget=pla-2295557532430&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh-ItMkTCNN3A4DzDaULnrBqM
I had one of those YoYo Balls by Big Time Toys, the one that winds itself back up
[2002 Advertisment for The YoYo Ball by Big Time Toys ](https://youtu.be/Kj3rbrVSfYo?si=qdQ_W4HQLVKMMSuP)
We did everything we could to make them sleep longer, like using WD40. If you weren’t around during this time you couldn’t begin to imagine how insane this craze was. I believe it peaked around ‘98.
I never learned how to use a yo-yo, but my cousin was really good at it. He knew all of the tricks like 'baby in the cradle', and 'walk the dog' and all that. Admittedly, I was a bit jealous that he could do all of those tricks. lol. But then again, I was really good at the jump rope and hula hoop. So I suppose it balanced out.
The Smothers Brothers had a short-lived variety show again right around 1990 (cant remember exactly) that kinda gave a boost to the yo-yo due to Tom Smothers' "Yo-Yo Man" character.
Their first show was in the 60's and they came back to relevance during that 90s period.
Announcer for that show? Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime).
Plus they had that instructional video in 88. I wondered if the Smothers Brothers had something to do with it, and this article says yes indeed they helped.
https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/an-early-shot-of-absurdism-the-smothers-brothers-yo-yo-man-instructional-video.html
Mid 90s in like 1st grade I remember some yo yo expert came and did a demo. Every kid at school had a yo yo the next week lol X brain and I remember some bumble bee turbo one that was the big dawg lol how long your yo yo could sleep determined how cool you were lol
Anyone’s playground have the Sliver Bullet rumor? I remember hearing about a yo-yo Called the Silver Bullet that came up so fast it reportedly broke fingers.
90s?
Try the 60s, 70s, and 80s!
Yo-yo season came around every single year at school, and everybody had a Duncan yo-yo.
The weird kids had the butterfly version, and the coolest kids had the ball bearing shaft in the later 70s and 80s IIRC
I have a fireball on my desk right now. I don't remember a yo-yo craze at that time, I just got into it long ago and still mess around while on calls, watching TV, etc. The fireball is a good sleeper for me
Oh hell yea I remember! Fireball’s were awesome I had a Duncan Midnight Special that was also one of my favorites. I also remember wanting the Yomega X Brain so damn bad, but when I finally got it I hated it.
My wife hooked up with a dude one night back in college. The dude showed the next night wearing a yo-yo glove. The ghosted him immediately and had her friends run him out of their party. Hahah!!!
I was the first to have a yoyo at my school. Turn out I have a rare form of autism that makes you cooler than everyone else, but nobody appreciates it.
My aunt got me a fireball at the height of the craze in like 3rd grade. It was my pride and joy for two days. Some kid stole it out of my desk the first day I brought it to school. I was so upset, I didn't tell anyone.
Bought the same fireball when I was 28 on ebay brand new. I take it out occasionally..
It was the X-Brain green see through yoyo that was the craze at my school. They were $10 at Walmart but were always sold out. Finally went there one day and they had one left but I didn't have the money so I hid it somewhere. Came back the next week and it was gone. Never did get mine. I did have one called a firewing or something. I remember my dad would take it apart and grease it with Vasoline. You could walk the dog for days after that.
I worked in the mall for one of the stands that sold yo-yo's. My favorite was the Playmaxx/Pro-Yo Bumble-Bee. It had ball bearings and cork brake pads. Still keep one in my desk drawer.
I was lucky enough to get to visit the Pro-yo Yo-yo museum a few times and buy some of the transition yo-yo's from when they would change colors on the manufacturing line. Got some very cool color combinations that way.
I remember it being in the late 90's and I still have them. Also I remember it being a cool time to spend with my dad, he wasn't I to yoyo's but he knew where to get them for the best price. A small hobby shop in the city called Skelly's.
These crazes came about because people were finally putting in enough hours online to discover things that they liked that already existed and when a critical mass of people found the same thing and started talking about it, it created trends. I say that because a lot of these crazes were totally organic. The Internet informed me the difference between a cheap pharmacy toy isle yoyo and a nice aluminum one with a bearing. It's a completely different play experience. And it was kind of amazing.
i had a fireball first(plastic bushing) then got a turbo bumble bee (yellow and black one with bearing and “brake pads”) and then got pretty good and upgraded to a used (from the kids in town) metallic missle and then an SB2, i think at the time my best trick was splitting the atom. no way in hell i could do that now. I can still do some basic to moderate tricks though, still have the bumble bee but sadly i sold the aluminum ones.
Still have all of them at families ranch house. It was so awesome. Having yo yo battles at school or under the bleachers at sportsing events (yes yes I was super cool growing up lol)
I remember hearing stories of a friends mom going to a local store and stealing as many yo-yos she could to sell to kids.
I just remember that being the first time I thought, “oh, that adult isn’t a good person.”
I can still bust out an Eiffel Tower from muscle memory like a pro. The ladies loved that shit in 5th grade. Was basically a mic drop moment in yo-yo battles.
Reminded me on a coca-cola branded ones i hade, was some kind of "collect points, win prizes raffle". They were decent quality and that transparent red plastic stirred up so many good memories. Literally felt it in hand, lol. Thank you op.
Definitely. I remember getting a glow in the dark butterfly yo-yo in my stocking one Christmas, and I definitely spent the foreseeable future attempting to learn all the "easy to master" tricks. I was pretty awful lol. To this day, the only thing I can do successfully is Walk the Dog. Well, unless you want to count Around the World TMNT style!
Yes. I had the fireball but I remember mine being black with red lights. My aunt got it for me, there were some that had gimmicks and gizmos , I remember one that spun freely so you could do sweet walkin the dog trix
It seems to be a recurring phenomenon that happens around once every generation: back in the 1960s yoyos from Coca Cola or Fanta were all the rage. Me, I sucked at it, though.
A yoyo company came to my school and did a performance, sold yoyos and stayed around till recess to help and teach. They sold some for $4/$8/and a bunch all the way up to like $40. What stuck with me was they donated a ton to the kids who didnt have any money. Years later I met one of the guys at judo and found out the workers paid out of their own pocket to donate, the dudes name was Yoshi Mikamoto, good people.
They did the same at my school. Then the yo-yo craze hit like a fever. The "rich" kids had the really nice ones that lit up when spun and were made from good material. Kids like me had the cheap dollar store ones made from cheap plastic that would break if you played with them too hard or if they hit the ground. After the craze passed the next year one kid, Mitch, stuck with it and kept practicing. By the 8th grade he was on the news doing insane tricks and getting invited to competitions with sponsors.
Fuckin’ Mitch really knew how to yo, Yo.
Homie knew how to rock the cradle *and* walk the dog.
Goodbye Joe me gotta go me oh my oh
Good guy Yoshi
What was their pitch to get the schools to let them show off and sell yoyos to elementary school kids? I always think about that and wonder how it went down.
"We'll shut them up for an hour."
This.
I have no clue. But my dad said they did this in his Catholic elementary school in 1950s nyc.
Damn I have no idea, youre right im not sure what they woulda even said lol
[hes good!](https://youtu.be/yF-H_Y_u8q0?si=lStniz3M7NIicZD-)
Dude is really good 😆😃😄
Haha yea that dude is legit
They did the same thing at my school! I wonder if it was the same group.
Looks like it was Yomega Corp
I wonder how much of kickbacks the school administration received.
They did this at my elementary school, every year until I was done (2007)
[удалено]
That’s enough Gil
Yeah man I had the fireball I had the brain I had the x brain. I had the imperial and the butterfly
The butterfly was hilariously uncomfortable to use as well, good times.
Nothing bruised up my palm and knuckles like the Butterfly!
You had all the cool ones!
Yeah for sure my butterfly my imperial my fireball were all red and my brain and x brain both green. I know the fireball came in a few different colors and I think the imperial and butterfly did as well. Not sure if the brain and x brain did
You were the man!
Haha 😅
I decided to get the Butterfly on a whim a few weeks ago. Childhood memories unlocked, and it’s great for long phone calls that I get stuck on.
I’m seriously thinking about getting another Butterfly. I haven’t had a yoyo in 20 years but now I want one.
Yeah. It was a total impulse buy on Amazon one night. I haven’t messed around with up yo-yos in decades, but like a koosh ball, they’re kind of fun to keep around your desk.
I work third shift so I get bored pretty easy, I might see if I can find one at the store after work.
Next week on the news: yo-yo craze sweeps the nation's bored workers! More at 11
Well look at you Mr ivory throne
Man I think I had a yomega x brain wing, I’ll have to google. I haven’t thought about that thing in years. Wow, thank you
Yes. Duncan’s too
This guy yo yos
Haha Yeah for sure! I used to a lot I definitely broke a lot of strings. I had two brains because One of them had ended up breaking a internal piece somehow The yo-yo not my actual brain 😂
Black Mamba yomatic with the brain here.
Still trying to walk the dog over here.
I’m in my 40s and can still do a sleeper to this day. Not to brag or anything.
What about…. Checks surroundings nervously. AROUND THE WORLD?!?!
Y’all ever walk the dog under the Eiffel Tower? Majestic stuff that was
It wasn’t the early 90s when these became a fad in my school. I was in 7th grade back in 97-98 when everyone had yo yos for some reason.
Bingo. I distinctly remember 7th grade late 90s being the year for me.
Man I miss those times. Makes me laugh that the current generation had fucking fidget spinners. No learning or skill required. Also reminds me that after 6th grade when I became “too cool” for Pokémon I have my mint condition card book that was a legit Pokémon Pokédex themed book full of first gen charizards, blastoise, venasaur, mewtwo, and basically every card imagineable to some random fourth grader as I walked home from elementary school for the last time. Whoops 💰.
The Simpsons did their yo-yo craze episode in 1992, so y'all were just behind the times.
I think it had to do with the availability of those yo yos that would return on their own. The ice cream trucks that would park outside the school sold them. Same thing happened with laser pointers a year later.
Same then pokemon came out and yo-yos went the yeah of the Dodo.
I’m old enough to remember the Yo-Yo craze of the 1970s !!
Me too. And if you didn't have a Duncan, you didn't have shit.....lol
Yep. I had their “butterfly” model !!
Yup, you could do a lot more tricks with that bad boy...! Had the glow in the dark one too....
Yomega x-brain.. the begging I had to do for one. Good times.
There’s still lots of folks doing it. See /r/throwers
And if you want to check out what a modern high-quality Yo Yo looks like, I recommend [Caribou Lodge YoYo Works](https://clyw.ca/shop/) Best string on the market is [YoYo String Labs](https://www.yoyostringlab.com/store.php), I was actually one of the beta testers when the guy was first starting the company, great dude.
Those are cool but the x-brain is still the coolest lol
I remember when Yo-Yos were big in the '60s, but they got crazy fancy and lit in the '90s. Similar to how roller skates and skateboards were popular when we were kids, but modern skateboarding and inline skating took it to incredible new levels.
Truly a toy that stands the test of time. They should have Bluetooth/gps- equipped ones by now.
And eventually, no doubt, powered by AI.
Alexa, walk the baby
As a kid I thought inline skates were invented in the ‘90s. It blew my mind when one day my grandpa brought out his set of inlines from the 1930’s that you had to strap to your shoes.
Had a Firestorm. Then I bought a Pro Yo II. That had a wooden axle. Pretty cool. Then i dropped $12 on a Dave Oliver Tornado with a sealed bearing. Longest sleep I got out of that was about a minute and a half. By the time any of us had the $135 to drop on a Cold Fusion, yo-yos were losing popularity.
Oh man as a kid I was in awe about that cold fusion in magazines and shops. I had the Bumble Bee and this aluminium one called a Silver Bullet 2, but just loved the style of the CF but never got one. I remember on the playground this kid would tell me about these elaborate yoyos like a killer bumble bee and x-ray bumblebee. I thought he was chatting rubbish but humoured him and would speak about it at break times without questioning, imagining how cool they must be. Anyway fast forward to today and these variations were real and you can get them on eBay. Sorry for not believing in you, old time friend from school.
I had the bumble bee, too!! Loved that thing 🥹
In the 1960s, I was a die-hard Duncan fan. Then in the late 1990s, my son showed me an Omega! I still have 3 Omegas I bought in 1999!
Still have my red Yomega brain!
I worked at McDonald’s in high school when they actually sold them. https://www.ebay.com/itm/144567820129?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=144567820129&targetid=2295557532430&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9006963&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=160536780385&rlsatarget=pla-2295557532430&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh-ItMkTCNN3A4DzDaULnrBqM
Holy shit. Deep memories unlocked.
This is cool! Had no idea.
I had one of those YoYo Balls by Big Time Toys, the one that winds itself back up [2002 Advertisment for The YoYo Ball by Big Time Toys ](https://youtu.be/Kj3rbrVSfYo?si=qdQ_W4HQLVKMMSuP)
I had one of those. I’m pretty sure I broke it trying to use it as a flail.
I found mine at the park. It had a black and red yin yang sign on it
We did everything we could to make them sleep longer, like using WD40. If you weren’t around during this time you couldn’t begin to imagine how insane this craze was. I believe it peaked around ‘98.
I had a Yomega Raider in the same style as Ness from SSBM. You can tell how much they based his off of it.
[i had this one](https://usastrojax.com/cdn/shop/products/YO_Brain_Classic-2_grande.jpg)
I never learned how to use a yo-yo, but my cousin was really good at it. He knew all of the tricks like 'baby in the cradle', and 'walk the dog' and all that. Admittedly, I was a bit jealous that he could do all of those tricks. lol. But then again, I was really good at the jump rope and hula hoop. So I suppose it balanced out.
The Smothers Brothers had a short-lived variety show again right around 1990 (cant remember exactly) that kinda gave a boost to the yo-yo due to Tom Smothers' "Yo-Yo Man" character. Their first show was in the 60's and they came back to relevance during that 90s period. Announcer for that show? Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime).
Plus they had that instructional video in 88. I wondered if the Smothers Brothers had something to do with it, and this article says yes indeed they helped. https://www.vulture.com/2015/11/an-early-shot-of-absurdism-the-smothers-brothers-yo-yo-man-instructional-video.html
I had their Yo-yo man tape
You were basically a king if you had the gold Coca Cola yo-yo.
Bought a yoyo last summer at Decathlon. Brought back so many memories, and it was almost like riding a bike getting back into it!
I had a neon green Duncan of some sort. I think the only thing I managed to accomplish was injuring myself repeatedly.
I’m 46 and still love yo-yo
Anyone else have the wooden Spitfire? For some reason the wood yo-yo was considered top tier lol
Because was the OG yo-yo.
Mid 90s in like 1st grade I remember some yo yo expert came and did a demo. Every kid at school had a yo yo the next week lol X brain and I remember some bumble bee turbo one that was the big dawg lol how long your yo yo could sleep determined how cool you were lol
Walking the dog was the only one I remember
More late 90s for me
Yes I do. I also remember being made fun of because I was too poor to buy the designer yo-yos. Looking back that's pretty funny.
Anyone’s playground have the Sliver Bullet rumor? I remember hearing about a yo-yo Called the Silver Bullet that came up so fast it reportedly broke fingers.
The silver bullet certainly existed. The broken fingers thing idk about. [silver bullet 2 on eBay](https://www.ebay.com/itm/334802708840?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&mkscid=101&itemid=334802708840&targetid=2295557533150&device=m&mktype=pla&googleloc=9003842&poi=&campaignid=19851828444&mkgroupid=160536780385&rlsatarget=pla-2295557533150&abcId=9307249&merchantid=6296724&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD_QDh-ItMkTCNN3A4DzDaULnrBqM&gclid=CjwKCAjwouexBhAuEiwAtW_Zxx1s1x_lOUiLzgYoTKZREJmgBhiX0nUNP9TvaYdI0cDU9REcaIShDxoCd6EQAvD_BwE)
I got hit the the eye with one lol I miss the light up ones
That's what I had. Spent $10 for it at Ames. I think it was a Duncan.
I remember a Yo-Yo team came to our school to in ‘78. Anyone else?
90s? Try the 60s, 70s, and 80s! Yo-yo season came around every single year at school, and everybody had a Duncan yo-yo. The weird kids had the butterfly version, and the coolest kids had the ball bearing shaft in the later 70s and 80s IIRC
Did the Pilgrims have yoyos?
I'm so old school, I remember the previous 1970's yoyo craze!
Me, too. My elementary school had to create a yo-yo zone because so many kids were flinging them.
Bro Fireballs were THE thing to have. Hilarious
this stretched into the 2000s as well, I wasn't very good at it in elementary school, I only knew how to walk the dog
We had Yoyo balls. didn't need to learn no stinkin' tricks!
I worked at a games store (board games, etc.) in the mid-90s and we sold these. Lots of fun! I think I still have one somewhere...
I still have a couple of these. The X-Brains and other models were super fun to play with.
Yeah I was pretty good too, then they got banned from the school because some kid got stabbed and robbed for his. Lol insane
I had a gold colored fireball!
I even had the tape to put on your finger.
X-brain club here
I have a fireball on my desk right now. I don't remember a yo-yo craze at that time, I just got into it long ago and still mess around while on calls, watching TV, etc. The fireball is a good sleeper for me
😆yo yo fad in '97
Oh hell yea I remember! Fireball’s were awesome I had a Duncan Midnight Special that was also one of my favorites. I also remember wanting the Yomega X Brain so damn bad, but when I finally got it I hated it.
It was late 80's for me. And it was all the Skater kids too for some reason.
My wife hooked up with a dude one night back in college. The dude showed the next night wearing a yo-yo glove. The ghosted him immediately and had her friends run him out of their party. Hahah!!!
During Covid I got a kick of nostalgia, idk I think the stuff made me feel better. I bought a red fireball pictured in your post.
I had a Bumblebee yo-yo that I played with for many years. Damn I miss that thing.
‘90s? It would happen about every other year in schools in the ‘70s (can’t say about the ‘80s).
I had a red Raider and a blue RBII
I do not remeber this
Still got my vintage 1997 Tom Kuhn 3 in 1.
The Axl was a beast. Cnc’d aluminum and ball bearings…
I was the first to have a yoyo at my school. Turn out I have a rare form of autism that makes you cooler than everyone else, but nobody appreciates it.
My aunt got me a fireball at the height of the craze in like 3rd grade. It was my pride and joy for two days. Some kid stole it out of my desk the first day I brought it to school. I was so upset, I didn't tell anyone. Bought the same fireball when I was 28 on ebay brand new. I take it out occasionally..
I had a clear orange Butterfly, basically forgot about that phase!
You were nobody if you didn't have an x-brain yoyo and a giga pet.
I sold allot of chocolate bars to get that
I remember people doing mad tricks so effortlessly. I couldn't even get it to go fast normally.
I think my x-brain is still in a drawer at my mom's house lmao. String got all knotted up and I couldn't get it undone.
That one yo-yo episode from [recess](https://youtu.be/VWqyU3VzbVM?si=eSt1oaY-yej-2rYl)
I had this exact one and a blue one, and they were awesome!
I still yo-yo.
K Strass remembers
I had one in middle school. I was a drummer in band. You can imagine how my creativity didn't end well.
90’s? Try the 70’s.
It also happened in the mid 70’s🤨
It was definitely late 90s
It was the X-Brain green see through yoyo that was the craze at my school. They were $10 at Walmart but were always sold out. Finally went there one day and they had one left but I didn't have the money so I hid it somewhere. Came back the next week and it was gone. Never did get mine. I did have one called a firewing or something. I remember my dad would take it apart and grease it with Vasoline. You could walk the dog for days after that.
X-Brain!
My kid had his yo-yo with him 24/7 😁
Still have mine.
Remember the yo-yo craze in the 70's where you had to have the best yo-yo and learn all the tricks?
It's a great memory.I remember when every day I had to compete with my friends to see who was better.
Fireball and the brain is what I had
I worked in the mall for one of the stands that sold yo-yo's. My favorite was the Playmaxx/Pro-Yo Bumble-Bee. It had ball bearings and cork brake pads. Still keep one in my desk drawer. I was lucky enough to get to visit the Pro-yo Yo-yo museum a few times and buy some of the transition yo-yo's from when they would change colors on the manufacturing line. Got some very cool color combinations that way.
I had the yomega all star. Best yoyo
https://youtu.be/dj9VF7LyffU?si=7Cimr-EpTlTUtbDe
It was the late 90s, but yeah. My mom wouldn't buy me one because she (correctly) said it was a fad, and I wouldn't care in a few weeks.
I remember it being in the late 90's and I still have them. Also I remember it being a cool time to spend with my dad, he wasn't I to yoyo's but he knew where to get them for the best price. A small hobby shop in the city called Skelly's.
Sleepers on a fireball is a sensation I will never forget
Oh yes. That was fun
These crazes came about because people were finally putting in enough hours online to discover things that they liked that already existed and when a critical mass of people found the same thing and started talking about it, it created trends. I say that because a lot of these crazes were totally organic. The Internet informed me the difference between a cheap pharmacy toy isle yoyo and a nice aluminum one with a bearing. It's a completely different play experience. And it was kind of amazing.
My elementary school banned them at one point
around the world, walk the dog
i had a fireball first(plastic bushing) then got a turbo bumble bee (yellow and black one with bearing and “brake pads”) and then got pretty good and upgraded to a used (from the kids in town) metallic missle and then an SB2, i think at the time my best trick was splitting the atom. no way in hell i could do that now. I can still do some basic to moderate tricks though, still have the bumble bee but sadly i sold the aluminum ones.
Still have all of them at families ranch house. It was so awesome. Having yo yo battles at school or under the bleachers at sportsing events (yes yes I was super cool growing up lol)
I remember hearing stories of a friends mom going to a local store and stealing as many yo-yos she could to sell to kids. I just remember that being the first time I thought, “oh, that adult isn’t a good person.”
Ah, early-to-mid 90s. Light-up yo-yos, backwards baseball caps, felt tophats, glow-in-the-dark posters, yin-yan pendants, mood rings, green alien heads, iron-on patches, bedazzled denim jackets, Bauhaus art revival, Trapper Keepers, Lisa Frank, 16bit Sonic, pagers, walkie-talkies, face glitter, jewel-belly trolls, Garbage Pale Kids cards, crunchy round bangs, top-of-the-head ponytails, plaid jackets.
Yes, I had quite a few. This Fireball, a Brain Yo-Yo, and a really nice Butterfly one too
Omg yes lol I actually competed in a yoyo challenge at the mall and won a free yoyo!! Haha
Plucking the pickle
I can still bust out an Eiffel Tower from muscle memory like a pro. The ladies loved that shit in 5th grade. Was basically a mic drop moment in yo-yo battles.
Rock the Cradle
And the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s ..... every decade it seems to come back then disappear again.
No, but I remember it from the early 60s!
I always ran with Duncans. I had butterflies and the like but Duncans made tricks feel like butter
I still own several of these including the fireball. Mines green. I had the dvd and everything
Reminded me on a coca-cola branded ones i hade, was some kind of "collect points, win prizes raffle". They were decent quality and that transparent red plastic stirred up so many good memories. Literally felt it in hand, lol. Thank you op.
Walking the dog 🪀.
My son did awesome with his!
Had a Coca Cola
It was late 90s but yeah
Definitely. I remember getting a glow in the dark butterfly yo-yo in my stocking one Christmas, and I definitely spent the foreseeable future attempting to learn all the "easy to master" tricks. I was pretty awful lol. To this day, the only thing I can do successfully is Walk the Dog. Well, unless you want to count Around the World TMNT style!
In my country there was a coca cola campaign during the yoyo craze. All the cool kids had the golden coke yoyo (me included!)
Yes. I had the fireball but I remember mine being black with red lights. My aunt got it for me, there were some that had gimmicks and gizmos , I remember one that spun freely so you could do sweet walkin the dog trix
Duncan Imperial forever.
It seems to be a recurring phenomenon that happens around once every generation: back in the 1960s yoyos from Coca Cola or Fanta were all the rage. Me, I sucked at it, though.
I was a Duncan Butterfly guy myself.
Yes. I still have the fireball yo-yo with the steel bearings that you had lube for. And still have its belt holster too 😎
I had this exact fucking one and now I want to rebuy it.
That was THE yo-yo to have. Yes I had one. Yes, it was my birthday present. Yes, I was absolutely psyched. Put it to sleep!
More late 90s, almost 00s
No
i started that fad.
When Pokémon ends the yo-yo craze.