When we think of ups and downs, we are reminded of
struggles in our lives. But a little toy that spans centuries reminds us that what
goes down, can often come back up.
The second oldest toy in history is the Yo-Yo, the
first being the doll. As is true with most simple pleasures, the Yo-Yo, or
prototypes thereof, originated thousands of years ago. A toy was invented in
China around 1000 B.C. known as a diabolo. This was a spool-like object
twirled on a string attached to two sticks. This device is still played with
today, often by circus jugglers. However, some believe it to be the precursor of
the stringed toy children and adults enjoy to this day.
Woman playing with a diabolo.
By 440 B.C., evidence of the Yo-Yo that we know
today was depicted in art. It was usually made of wood or metal. A terra-cotta one, painted with images of certain gods, was offered ceremonially to those
gods when a child came of age.
Greek plate
On November 20, 1866, two men from Ohio, James L.
Haven and Charles Hettrick, secured a patent for a toy they called whirligig that
we now refer to as a Yo-Yo.
Whirligig design
An early term for the two discs attached by an
axle was known as a bandalore. That is up until 1928 when a Philippine immigrant
to the United States opened a manufacturing factory in Santa Barbara,
California. Pedro Flores renamed the toy Yo-Yo, which is a Filipino Tagalog
term meaning “come back”. A huge success, Flores expanded, opening two
additional factories in Los Angeles and Hollywood by November 1929. Between the
three facilities, he employed 600 workers and produced 300,000 units daily.
Also in 1929, a man whose name is synonymous with
the Yo-Yo came on the scene. Donald F. Duncan saw the tremendous potential of
this phenomenon and bought the corporation and all of its assets from Flores,
who had never patented the item under the Tagalog name, Yo-Yo. Duncan ran with
the popular toy throughout the Depression and beyond, nabbing the distinction
of having a day made in his honor. National Yo-Yo Day is on his birthday, June 6, every year.
The popular Duncan Imperial Yo-Yo
Here’s an interesting blip in the otherwise fun
history of this toy. In Syria c. 1933, the Yo-Yo was strictly banned from the
country. Why? They were suffering a severe drought. What does a toy have to do
with a drought?
In other countries, when hit with a natural
devastation, the priests would take images of the saints out in procession and
offer prayers. Syria, however, was an Islamic nation. Images of Muhammed were
strictly forbidden.
The Yo-Yo had been a craze in their country for
ten years. Desperate to come up with a solution, Syrian priests argued that
while the people pray “for water from the sky to descend and fertilize the
earth, the yo-yo, which also begins its movement by going downwards, before
touching the ground, quickly moves away from it and thus” prevents the water
from falling. The Prime Minister ordered the police to confiscate all of the Yo-Yos
in the country, thousands and thousands in a few days. It rained immediately
afterward, so much so that the Euphrates River nearly overflowed its banks.
We associate ups and downs as success and failure,
good times and sad times, the ebb and flow of our lives. I like this quote from
singer Patti LaBelle:
I've had 60 years of ups and downs,
and all of the downs that I've had, I'm happy that I've had them because it's
taught me to appreciate all the ups.
Or, as Andre Crouch penned in his song, Through
It All, he sings about thanking God for the mountains, valleys, and storms He
brought him through. If he’d never had any problems, he’d never have known God’s
power to solve them.
The Yo-Yo. A toy, that has stood the test of time,
is perhaps a great reminder that when things spiral down in life, don’t let go of
the string!
Please enjoy the following video of the famed comedy act, the Smothers Brothers, demonstrating the many tricks one can do with a Yo-Yo.
A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.
Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.
Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.
Thank you for posting today. I enjoyed yoyos as a kid but never got good at any tricks. I would rather have read a book that keep practicing the tricks!
Thank you for posting today. I enjoyed yoyos as a kid but never got good at any tricks. I would rather have read a book that keep practicing the tricks!
ReplyDeleteMy kind of girl!
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