“Now, through the magic of slow motion….”

I love love LOVE old training videos in general, and old yoyo training reels are the best! Brandon Jackson just uploaded this gem from the Duncan Toys vaults featuring legendary yoyo demonstrator Barney Akers helping teach how to run a basic yoyo contest.

A couple of notes the video:

– 7:48 – The narrator begins lying blatantly about the history of the yoyo. Yoyos originated in 450 BC Greece, or at least that’s as far back as any have been discovered. This nonsense was started in the 1940s by Duncan marketing director Tom Ives, and has been repeated ever since, including in textbooks and various history books. Yikes.

– They only spend 3 minutes discussing how to run a contest at the very end of the video…the rest of the video is devoted entirely to demonstrating the actual tricks. It’s not entirely clear, but it looks like this reel was specifically intended not for retail stores but for Parks & Recreation departments across the country. In the 1970s and 1980s, Duncan had slowed their demonstrator program down considerably from its heyday in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, and relied predominantly on television and brand recognition to sell the product.

– Phyllis Kelsey was adorable. Jack Bozung was not.

Huge thanks to Duncan Toys and Brandon Jackson for sharing this with us!