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| Flores Flores Yo-Yo - The Wonder Toy (mini) |
| Exhibit #2592 |
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| Type | Production |
| Shape | Standard (-) |
| Axle | Fixed |
| Packaging | None |
| Construction | One piece wood |
| Response | None |
| Diameter | 48 mm |
| Gap | Fixed |
| Condition | 9 |
| Date | 1928 |
| To | 1929 |
| Owner | Rick Brough |
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Original wooden, one-piece Flores yo-yo from about the late 1920s. Nice vintage gray-blue body color and blue ink stamp. Notice the abbreviated words "Pat. Pend." in the stamp. The narrow gauge string, which is original to the yo-yo and still attached, is made from genuine silk. While it is difficult to tell -- even by looking at the "Large" picture -- in-person, the string has a slight sheen to it that you do not see in vintage cotton string. Flores yo-yos, around 1929-1930, came in three approximate diameters: 1 3/4 inch, 2 inch, and 2 1/4 inch. They were $1.80, $3.00, and $4.20 respectively, per dozen. That amount equates to 15¢, 25¢, and 35¢ each, respectively.
From a 1930 paper ad: "This marvelous ingenious little toy brings amusement and enjoyment alike to children and the grown-ups. Develops skill and patience in practice."
While it's challenging to know for sure whether the yo-yo in this exhibit is either used or "new", there are several interesting things to note. One is that the string is attached to the yo-yo's axle. That is, the yo-yo does not spin or "sleep" at the end of the string when you throw it. As such, many of the earliest Flores yo-yo models lack any display of "Walking the Dog" wear on the outside diameter. A yo-yo trick that was not well-known at the start of the first ever yo-yo craze in North America in the late 1920s, early 1930s.
Go back in time!
• Try out a modern replica of the original Flores-shaped yo-yo -- the Oh-Gee -- available from YoYoFactory's website (last checked May 5, 2017).
• Read one of the earliest known Flores yo-yo instruction pamphlet from the same time period.
• See the earliest known Flores Yo-Yo Contest 1st place trophy, also from the same time period.
• Popular Mechanics, "Make a Filipino Yo-Yo", July, 1929.
To see all mini yo-yos in this museum, in the left panel, click Exhibits.
In the right pane, in the Name/Model field, type mini, then click Browse. | |
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