‘Yo-yo’ has a couple of meanings
As an antiquer, if I say the word “yo-yo” to you, it will bring an image to mind. You might visualize a couple of different things. To a toy collector, “yo-yo” is a pair of discs with a string wrapped in the center. But if I say “yo-yo” to quilters or quilt collectors, they’ll visualize a bedspread made with little circular-shaped scraps of fabric that resemble a rosette.
The first mention of a toy like the yo-yo we know today was in 500 B.C. Some historians think they were first used earlier in China as a weapon. Greek paintings show people using a yo-yo-like toy, and a few remnants of these ancient yo-yos have been found in tombs.
Toy yo-yos traveled from Asia to Europe in the late 1700s. The young future king of France, Louis XVII, was painted with his yo-yo. It was called a bandalore. In 1866, two men from Ohio were issued a patent on their interpretation of the European bandalore. Their version was rim-weighted, making the toy easier to control. They had limited success marketing the toy.
It wasn’t until an article on “Filipino Toys” was published in a scientific newsletter showing the Philippine version of the yo-yo that interest surged. They called it a “yo-yo,” supposedly the Philippine version of “come come.”
Donald Duncan, famous manufacturer of yo-yos, bought a small company owned by Pedro Flores in 1929. Flores’ marketing technique was to go into the streets of San Francisco and do tricks with his yo-yo. Then he would sell yo-yos to the crowd. Duncan happened to see him performing amazing tricks with the simple toy and was intrigued. His superior marketing skills and manufacturing background made the yo-yo the iconic toy it is today.
Duncan took his cue from Flores and hired demonstrators to perform with the toy. He trademarked the name Yo-Yo in 1932. Sadly, in the mid-1960s, his trademark was rescinded. The word yo-yo had become universal and was now considered part of the English language.
The yo-yo quilt got its name from the small round yo-yo shapes made by gathering circular fabric scraps into a dimensional rosette. The height of popularity for these spreads — the late 1920s to the 1940s — coincided with the popularity of the Duncan Yo-Yo.
During the Depression in the United States and the era of World War II, women wanted to conserve and use every available scrap of material. This technique was perfect because the tiny bits of fabric could be carried everywhere, allowing a quilter’s hands to never be idle. The colorful rosettes were stitched together and then attached to a fabric backing or used with no backing, to make a festive bedspread.
Today, vintage Duncan Yo-Yos or antique yo-yo quilts are not expensive to collect. Keep your eyes out for ones in good condition.
Nancy Russell is a retired antiques dealer with 40 years in the business. If you have an item for “What Is It?” or something about which you would like information, please send a photo and brief description to n.russell@mac.com or to Antiques, Columbia Daily Tribune, P.O. Box 798, Columbia, Mo., 65205.
