Letter 12 - Bandalores

The bandalore is an ancient toy that dates back to 440 BC, with original variations made of wood, metal or terra cotta. It consists of an axle connected to two disks with a string looped around it, resembling a spool. Players would hold the end of  the string and allow the spool to spin downward before it wound back up.

Over time, the bandalore evolved into what we now know as the yo-yo. The term  "yo-yo" possibly originated from the Philippines as Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant, founded the "Yo-yo Manufacturing Company" in America in 1928. His design introduced a looped slip-string that enabled for more sophisticated motions and making yo-yoing a popular pastime for children and adults.

Flores's company was acquired by Donald F. Duncan in about 1929 and the name "yo-yo" was trademarked 1932.  The term yo-yo became such a common part of speech that a court case in 1965 ruled that exclusive use of the term was no longer enforceable.

In 1946, the Duncan Toys Company established a yo-yo factory in Luck, Wisconsin. The Duncan yo-yo's enduring popularity led to its induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame in 1999.

 Sources for images and further reading

• Wikipedia. Yo-Yo
• British Museum. (2019). Bandelures (BM J,3.53) [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons.