To celebrate the 90 year anniversary of the modern yo-yo, our friends at theYoYo Legacy Project are offering a gorgeous set of exotic wood yo-yos that represent the historical milestones of our favorite toy. No dyes, stains, or tints are used; you’re seeing the natural color of sustainable, exotic woods from all over the world. While designed to be a beautiful desktop display piece, all yo-yos are fully functional. The Kickstarter will be running until July 9th, 2018.
In 1928 Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant, worked as a bellboy in a downtown Santa Barbara hotel. In his spare time, he hand-carved a small disc toy he called the Yo-Yo. On his breaks he would go out to the sidewalk and show passersby his toy and the unique tricks that could be learned. It captivated those who saw it! Americans loved the simple toy and Pedro Flores did not remain a bellboy for long.
On June 9th, 1928, Flores set up the first American Yo-Yo manufacturing operation in the Granada Building in downtown, Santa Barbara, California. Within two years he was producing 300,000 Yo-Yos a day at a cost of 15 cents to $1.50 each and promoting the first ever Yo-Yo contests throughout the area.
This project is a celebration of Pedro Flores and the 90th Anniversary of the Yo-Yo in America. It is also a tribute to my childhood love of the Yo-Yo and my lifelong passion for beautiful wood. How better to celebrate the 90th Anniversary of this wonderful toy than to create functional, desktop art with five historically significant Yo-Yos turned out of exquisite, exotic woods.
Backers have the option of quite a few cool rewards, including a reprint of the 1928 Flores trick booklet, a full set of the yoyos with a desk stand, and even a trip to their workshop to learn how to make wooden yoyos yourself!
Check out the full Legacy YoYo Project on Kickstarter and pledge your support today…the Kickstarter campaign ends July 9th!
And be sure to follow the YoYo Legacy Project on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for updates.
