It’s a toy; it’s a sport; it’s a verb. It’s been a toy for centuries, known by many names throughout its history, including bandalore, quiz, twirler, whirl-a-gig, and other names in different cultures.

The yo-yo was commercialized in America in the 1920s by Pedro Flores, a Filipino immigrant who produced the first Yo-Yo by that name in California. Not only did Flores import the idea from his native Philippines, but also the name for it; “Yo-Yo” meant something like “come come” or “come back” in the native Tagalog language.

If Pedro Flores is credited with naming the Yo-Yo, it is D.F. Duncan Sr., who is recognized for successfully building the brand. Duncan bought the business from Flores and first trademarked Yo-Yo in the United States in 1929. So successful was Duncan’s marketing, the public adopted the term “yo-yo” and rival companies challenged Duncan’s trademark. In 1965, the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that the term had become generic, and so could be used by anyone. Then, everyone got into the game.

Duncan successfully marketed and manufactured yo-yos for many decades from his hometown, Luck, Wisconsin. But, as luck would have it, the Duncan company went bankrupt during the yo-yo heyday of the 1960s. The Duncan brand was acquired by Flambeau, and is still a leading name in yo-yoing.

Now, in the 75th Anniversary year since Duncan trademarked the name for Flores’s toy, the yo-yo craze is coming back. In addition to technological advances, the Internet is helping a new generation learn how to yo-yo and share yo-yo knowledge and skills over websites like the yoyoing blog. Just check out this amazing quicktime video showing the incredible skills of some very talented guys who have way too much time on their hands.

The World Yo-Yo Contest is one of the largest and oldest yo-yo competitions in the world, and has created a viral marketing campaign to exploit the obsessive tendencies of their fans:

Are you the World Yo-Yo Contest’s biggest fan? If so, we want to know about it, and have you — our loyal minions — help get the word out about the best competition in the world!

What do you have to do? Simple! Do ANYTHING that lets people know about the World Yo-Yo Contest! Get USA Today to print up a front-page article about it! Sponsor a “World Yo-Yo Contest Appreciation Event” that gets your area’s best players competing and excited about the World Yo-Yo Contest. Appear on David Letterman’s “Stupid Human Tricks” and mention the World Yo-Yo Contest! Use your imagination!

Adapted from an original post by Abnu on our sister site, Wordlab.