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The ProYo® was developed and patented in (1974). Playmaxx was started in 1976 by Donald F. Duncan, Jr. The
original name was "Duncraft". This name existed for about 6 months and was changed to "Duracraft" at the
request of the "Duncan YoYo Co." as they felt it was too close to their name/trademark. In 1988, Duracraft
was changed to Playmaxx as it remains today. The original ProYo was produced until October 1996 when it
was replaced by the ProYo II. The ProYo is considered, by aficionados, to be the father of most of the
modern yo-yos. It is the most copied high tech yo-yo on the market today.
The main features of this yoyo were the central spool that set the parallelism of the two side members and
the undercuts on the side members that allowed the use of advertising side caps. This was also an early
example of the use of rim weighted design in a plastic yoyo.
Another significant feature was the shape. This "modern" shape is what has made it
the father of the modern yo-yo.
The original Duncraft ProYo as produced in 1976. This was produced unchanged except for the name until
1996. In October of 1996, with the introduction of the ProYo II. The ProYo II axle design was also patented
as well as several other features like the ability to display POGs in one side.
ProYo II axle design is like having a miniature wood one-piece yoyo mounted
inside a rim-weighted plastic shell. Therefore, bringing together the best of both worlds, wood and
plastic.
The Following is from the Proyo litrature for the Turbo Bumble Bee:
In October of 1997, Playmaxx introduced the perfect "Bumble Bee" ball bearing ProYo. The perfect yo-yo
should SLEEP for an inordinate amount of time, "BEE" absolutely smooth on string tricks without snagging,
and return on command without hesitation. This describes the new Turbo Bumble Bee, the only ball bearing
yo-yo that performs "right out of the box", requires NO string gap adjustments and is independent of string
tension.
Enhancing the use of Brake Pad technology, Playmaxx introduced the Cold Fusion in October of 1998.
The Coldfusion sold retail for 150.00.
In November of 2001, the assets of Playmaxx Inc. were purchased by Duncan® Toys Co. At the helm of Duncan
for this momentus purchase were Jason Sauey (President), Mike Burke (National Sales & Marketing Manager),
and Steve Brown (Marketing & Promotions Coordinator). With this addition, the already strong Duncan line of
yo-yos has become the only complete line of yo-yos from a single manufacturer.
All three of the acknowledged world records for yo-yos with fixed axles as listed by the
American Yo-Yo Association (AYYA) are held by the Original ProYo by Playmaxx.
- Longest spinner - to extinction : 51 seconds - Original ProYo
- Fastest spinner : 11,400 RPM - Original ProYo
- Around the Worlds : 26 - Original ProYo
On October 3rd at the 1998 US National Championships, the Cold Fusion slept for an unprecedented 7 minutes and 8
seconds, nearly doubling the previous record. On May 16, 1999, at 7:10 PM Kate Miller broke the World Sleep Record of 7:08 with a time of 8 minutes and
21 seconds in the company of the staff from Golden Apple Comics. Time was witnessed and verified on two
separate chronographs.
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