The Mid Century Vault

Currently Playing: 095 Duncan Yoyo: The 60s Craze That Bankrupted an Empire 🪀

n the spring of 1962, you didn’t need a smartphone to capture your imagination—all you needed was a plastic disk dancing at the end of a string. Welcome back to the Vault! In this episode, Philip Mershon unpacks a swell bit of mid-century marketing and childhood obsession: the yo-yo. While it seems like a timeless, wholesome staple of the 20th century, the yo-yo is as ancient as they come. And by the Mid Century, the massive empire behind it flew a little too close to the sun. In this video, we uncover: The Ancient Myth: Why Donald Duncan didn’t invent the yo-yo, and how ancient Greek pottery proves it's thousands of years old. The Filipino Innovator: How a hotel bellboy named Pedro Flores changed toy history forever with one simple modification that allowed the yo-yo to "sleep." The Marketing King: How Donald Duncan Sr. built an army of champions, struck a deal with media mogul William Randolph Hearst, and trademarked the word "Yo-Yo." Celebrity Cameos: From Lou Gehrig and James Dean to Michael Jackson, Goldie Hawn, Richard Nixon, and Tommy Smothers. The 1962 Peak & Fall: How selling an astronomical 45 million yo-yos in a single year actually led the Duncan company straight into bankruptcy. 💬 I WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU: Could you get your yoyo to "Walk the Dog" or go "Around the World"? Let me know in the comments below! If you enjoyed this trip down memory lane, please hit the LIKE button, subscribe to join the gang (it's free!), and consider hitting the Super Thanks button to support the channel! 🏷️ Hashtags #History #RetroToys #MidCentury #YoYo #PopCulture #VintageVibes #DuncanYoYo