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| Flores Yo-Yo The Wonder Toy (1929) |
| Exhibit #2545 |
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| Type | Production |
| Condition | 7 |
| Date | 1928 |
| To | 1929 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
| Compare |  |
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The earliest known printed yo-yo instruction sheet. When Pedro Flores distributed this 4 panel pamphlet around 1928 or 1929, yo-yo was unknown to most people. In fact, it was still so new that the pamphlet only described one yo-yo trick—what eventually became known as the "Forward Pass". The pamphlet was devoted almost exclusively to teaching you how to accomplish the most basic skill of yo-yo play: making the yo-yo go up and down on the string. That was it!
The title page has some interesting details. It calls yo-yo The Wonder Toy and a Filipino Simple Device. The "Flores" name appears in very small point size directly below the wreath image. Also of interest is the name and address of Flores' company, Yo-Yo Manufacturing Co., Granada Building, Santa Barbara, California.
The Condition rating of 7 belies the scarcity of this piece.
While the entire text is a fascinating look into the earliest days of yo-yo play and instruction, perhaps the most interesting paragraph is on the third panel:
"After you are able to play the Yo-Yo with some degree of skill, you can order from the factory a much longer string which will enable the Yo-Yo to be played from the top of a bus, boat, or building where the player can be safe from falling himself."
Note that Flores originally spelled The Wonder Toy as "Yo-Yo".
Compare with the Duncan "Be a Champion" flyer.
Of interest...
See Side A and Side B of a nearly identical pamphlet to the one in this exhibit from the Duncan Family Yo-yo Collection at the National Museum of American History, Archives Center. Notice the address on the pamphlet is the Washington Building in Los Angeles, California. Also, Flores was removed from below the wreath, suggesting that Duncan had assumed the yo-yo business from Pedro Flores by then.
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