Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos produced the Original for a very brief period in the 80s. According to Lucky Meisenheimer’s book on collectible yo-yos, the Original (#1581 42) is very rare and the line was discontinued. I believe it was introduced at the same time as the Beginner’s but never had a second run. The only mention of the yo-yo in printed material from Tom Kuhn was on a Special Limited Editions price list that came out around 1986-87 (see below); about the time the Diamond Specials were released. The Original was available in very limited quantities for a low price of $4.00 on that price list; the same price as a Beginner’s yo-yo at that time.
The Original is a uniquely unique yo-yo from Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos, a company known for many different versions of its core yo-yos. The shape of the yo-yo mimics the shape of the famous Duncan Chief up-and-down yo-yo from the 1930s and 40s; less rounded overall with each half looking a bit like a tapered hockey puck.
This shape is not unique to the Original; it's essentially the same shape as the Up & Down Beginner’s Yo-Yo and the No Jive Jr from Tom Kuhn. The Original is unique from these two similarly shaped models in that it is a three-piece, fixed axle yo-yo that is not modular like the No Jive Jr, and not a fixed-string model like the Beginner’s; the Original can sleep but can’t be taken apart.
The design of the Original is also similar to the No Jive Jr. and Beginner’s Yo-Yos in that it is a two-tone model. Both halves of the yo-yo are stained allowing the natural grain of the wood to show. The one I found has a red and a yellow half. I’ve seen photos of Originals in other color combinations.
The most unique aspect of the Original is the design on one half of the yo-yo. The design features two birds flying over a mountain range with a sunrise and the word “Original” leading to the yo-yo being dubbed the “Dove and Mountain.” It is a simple, elegant design that evokes the types of hand-carved pictures that yo-yo demonstrators in the 30s and 40s would apply to wood yo-yos with their pen-knives. The types of carvings that I’m sure Tom Kuhn would have seen in his youth.
The design is heat-pressed into one side of the Original; a similar technique to the Beginner’s model stamp that allows for much finer lines than the stamps on the traditional No Jives. This allows the design to have a level of detail and beauty surpassing the laser etching of the era. The reverse side has no markings. There is no mention on the yo-yo that it is from Tom Kuhn Yo-Yos, which is also very unique.
