Happy National Yo-Yo Day!

[Digitac]

:party:
Here's to all the Yo-Yo's, and Yo-Yo makers, out there!

Today is National Yo-Yo day, it's every June 6th - the birthday of Donald F. Duncan Sr - here's the history and more about the Yo-Yo (http://www.nationalyoyo.org/museum/generalhistory.htm)

Shame on them for leaving out all the great contributions Tom made to Yo-Yo technology!:stuart:

Jonathan

[Kyp J]

In the listing of awards and past winners part of that site is the name Hans Van Dan Elzen in several places.

[bambam]

In the listing of awards and past winners part of that site is the name Hans Van Dan Elzen in several places.

Thats right.. I had the honor and privilege to sit and eat with Mr. Han Van Dan Elzen.. son of Tom. He is a world reknown YOYO champion and been all over the world and on TV showing off his many YOYO tricks and promoting his YOYO(s). He also is in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest walking the dog trick. Something like over 7-minutes if I am not mistaken.

Tom retired and sold the company to Hans. Neat guy...loves sports cars, has a cool Bug Eye Austin Healy Sprite... all Bsome..... I thought it was really neat getting to meet him when I was down for dyno day.....

Actually I am rather good with a YOYO I just did not want to show anyone up while down there doncha yaa know :eek:

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

First off, here is yoyo history written by an expert. http://www.theyoyomuseum.com/museum_view.php?action=profiles&subaction=yoyo_tom

Next, I should set my history straight. Not that Buck got it wrong, mind you, but not much was correct.

I bought the company in Tucson from Don Duncan Jr (it was a $50K/year company and, by the end of the second year, I had it up to $19 Million). His father started Duncan yoyos in ~1929/1930. Don and I worked together until he retired in 1998. Sadly, he and his wife Donna were killed in 2002 when high winds blew their SUV off I-10 near Demming, NM. In 2001, I sold my company to Duncan/Flambeau and went off to tour the USA by motorcycle. 3 months, 19,000 miles and 29 states later the bike was destroyed in an intersection in Massachussetts when the driver of a small Toyota decided that he would get home faster by accelerating through an intersection rather than stopping for the stop sign. Long story, but my wife and I no longer ride motorcycles.

Hans started his own company (YoYoFactory.com) and made several new yoyos and sold them all over the world. I had nothing to do with his company except some engineering. Hans demonstrated for us in 29 different countries around the world. When we made the Guinness Book in 2000, instead of using the picture of our yoyo, they used his picture instead. If you get the opportunity to check out the GB, you will see that we generated $96,000,000.00 in worldwide retail yoyo sales in ONE YEAR (1998). However, since that time Hans has set a couple more GB records. One of which is the most yoyo tricks in one minute. I believe the original record was 36 and he is now at 52. When we brought out the Cold Fusion yoyo in 1997, Hans set a world record for sleep time (yoyo spins at the end of the string until it stops) at 9 minutes and 8 seconds or something like that? Previous record was ~3 minutes. That record was subsequently broken by one of our customers at 10:18.

Sometimes the world screws up and the error perpetuates. Don Duncan Sr. was born on June 10th. Just so you know. Don Jr never could understand why they picked June 6th??? Sr. also brought to the world the bane of downtown parking all over the world, the parking meter. Last but not least, the yoyo was NEVER USED AS A WEAPON in the Philippines or anywhere else. Although, the word "YoYo" is from the Philippine dialect of Tagalog and roughly translates as "spring".

This is a picture from our museum in Tucson where we had a large portion of my roughly 6500 collectible yoyos on display. I'm on the right, he's on the left (pun intended).

http://www.knacktoys.com/WalterCronkite.jpg

One of the favorite yoyos in my collection is the one and only known 1904 St. Louis World's Fair yoyo in existance.

http://www.knacktoys.com/stlouwf1.gif

If you are up for a trivia quiz, I have a Micky Mouse Club YoYo competition trophy. It was from the second year of the Micky Mouse Club. What year was that? ;)

Finally, I hold several patents on yoyos. I am pending on a new one that just published and should issue shortly. It is a supercharged yoyo. ;)

[ThomS]

Tom was the Year 1956

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Not even in the right decade. :)

One guess to a customer.

[bambam]

well we did have lunch together by God!

ok my guess is 1938 ?

Sr. El Bucko
no mas diablo essay, no mas

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Closer. :)

[Kyp J]

This doesn't sound right. I think J man should get involved.:2guns:

[mageep]

I'm gonna go with 1930. I love Google.


"Mickey Mouse Club Collectables


The first Mickey Mouse Club was founded back in September 1929 by Harry W. Woodin, manager of the Fox Dome Theater in Ocean Park, California - and since then club collectables have been keenly sought by Disney enthusiasts the world over. Mickey Mouse Club meetings were usually held in department stores or at movie theaters at noon on Saturdays prior to that day's matinee performance. Typically, there would be quizzes and competitions with various gifts and prizes being awarded to the successful contestants. The store or theater owner would pay roughly $25 for a starter pack including a General Campaign book, Club song sheets, official badges and so on. These 'in-house' non-commercial items are now particularly rare. A general campaign manual from the early 30s can make anything up to $350."

[Kyp J]

I didn't google deep enough. I only came up with the TV version from the '50s. I was too old for it then but not old enough for the 30s. Tom looks pretty good for somebody that old.

[Mark]

Tom,

Thanks for keeping your engineering skills and thoughts centered around things that spin very fast! :)

[bambam]

You look older in person Tom

[Kyp J]

You look older in person Tom


For what it is worth, here is a picture of "Bambam" (Buck)

[Kyp J]

I have to admit that the similar pose in the background is me with Tom looking on. I figured that was Buck's and my best side.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

1930 was correct. I will try and get a picture up later. I have the MMC lapel pin with it that says MMC, 1929-1930. :) I just have to drag it out of the safe and snap a picture.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Just curious. Did you recognize the other old bird in the photo with me? Walter Cronkite.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Well, I was wrong and Paul was wrong but, for once, two wrongs did make a right. ;) MMC started in 1928 not 1929 (Paul's error). The trophy IS from 1930, but it was the third year, not the second (my error). The pin says Mickey Mouse Club, Copyright 1928-1930, W.E. Disney. The trophy and pin came from the old geezer who won it (well, actually, his heirs.)

http://www.knacktoys.com/MickeyMouseClubTrophy.jpg

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Here's some video I took recently on a fishing trip with Buck. That is him closest to the back of the boat. ;)

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.fullscreen&videoid=1125465453

[mageep]

Just curious. Did you recognize the other old bird in the photo with me? Walter Cronkite.

I THOUGHT so!!! :D

Pretty cool, Tom!

[Kyp J]

Just curious. Did you recognize the other old bird in the photo with me? Walter Cronkite.

I thought from the text of that post the Old (er) guy was one of the Duncans and I thought "that guy sure looks like Walter Cronkite".

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I tried to give you guys a hint with the "He's on the LEFT and I'm on the RIGHT comment" (his politics are further left than Ted Kennedy :)). He is really a super nice guy and I gave him one of the first Cold Fusion yoyos to come from production.

http://www.fastforwardsuperchargers.com/guinness2002.jpg

[Kyp J]

Tom's Quote: "I tried to give you guys a hint with the "He's on the LEFT and I'm on the RIGHT comment" (his politics are further left than Ted Kennedy :))."

After meeting you, I thought you were kind of a Liberal. No bumper stickers or anything. I know some people.....never mind, they might be in a whole different category than just left vs right.