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Duncan Yo-Yo Reveals Character flyer - 1932
Exhibit #3903
Condition9
Date1932
To1933
OwnerRick Brough
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A very early Duncan yo-yo instruction and trick sheet. Instructions were on side A and the tricks and poem were pictured on side B. This sheet gives you a very small glimpse into the competitiveness of yo-yo sales in the early 1930s when the first yo-yo boom was well underway.

"Thrills Galore Await He Who Masters the Genuine Duncan Gold Seal Yo-Yo."

and

"The different tricks can be done only with GENUINE DUNCAN GOLD SEAL YO-YO TOP."

and finally

"The string used on the Yo-Yo Top is especially made of Egyptian Fibre Cord, and to insure best results insist upon GENUINE DUNCAN EGYPTIAN FIBRE YO-YO STRINGS for your GENUINE DUNCAN GOLD SEAL YO-YO TOP."

In the very early years of yo-yoing, from late 1929 and on, competition among yo-yo makers was intense. Duncan was not yet a household name, synonymous with yo-yos. As such, it was important for yo-yo makers to built brand loyalty among their customers – kids across the United States and in Canada. Their literature would insist – like the sheet in this exhibit – that they buy and use only yo-yos and string from a particular maker. In this case, Duncan. Goody and Cheerio also had the same you better buy ours if you want the real deal mentality. This branding power was especially true when it came to contests. If you didn't have a Duncan Genuine Gold Seal yo-yo when you showed up to a yo-yo contest hosted by Duncan Yo-Yos... well, you get the picture. Donald F. Duncan Sr. understood and executed on this marketing/sales principle relentlessly from the very start after he took over Flores Yo-Yos from Pedro Flores.

"As the top gets older, it works better and the more you play, the more enjoyment you have. [To give you even more excitement and thrills,] See poem on other side [side B]."

See the following exhibits mentioned in this sheet:

• Genuine Duncan Gold Seal Yo-Yo Top
• Genuine Duncan Egyptian Fibre Yo-Yo Strings, 2 for 5¢;

See also the Duncan trick sheet flyer Be a Champion from the 1930s.



Other Views
Side A, large
Side B, large

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