Yo-Yos and Hula Hoops - fun with the oldest toys on earth!

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History of the Yo-Yo

The yo-yo is often referred to as the second oldest toy in history, second only to the doll.

The earliest surviving yo-yo dates to 500 BC. Did you know that yoyos have been around so many years? Do you know how to yoyo?

In the Phillippines, yo-yo translates as "come back". Some people believe that the yo-yo was created to be used as a weapon. That theory is not true. Pedro Flores, who was originally from the Phillippines, started selling the toy in the United States with the name Yo-Yo. His company, Flores' Yo-Yo Company was bought out by Duncan, who copyrighted the name, Yo-yo.


Scroll down to see more about yo-yos and another classic toy, hula hoops! Did you have both of these toys as a child? Do your children have them?

Learning to YoYo

Do you know how to yoyo?

How To Yo-Yo
by Howcast | video info

86 ratings | 77,166 views
automatically generated by YouTube
Top Sellers in Yo-yos

Hula-Hoop History

how to hula hoopI can easily remember rolling a tractor tire down the road, or for even more fun, rolling it down a hill. It was a natural form of play that was bound to become a marketing miracle.

There are stories of children playing with hoops of dried grapevines as early as 1000 BC.
The Australians started this century's craze with a wooden hoop, and in 1957, Wham-O produced a plastic hoop in the US. And the rest, as they say, is history!

Cultural Revolution bumpersticker
Cultural Revolution by MoreganKira
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Hula Hoops and Yo-Yos

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Get your own yo-yo and hula hoop!
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Books About Hula Hoops and Yo-Yos!

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Alexandra Dodonova

Hula Hoop Expert!

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Learn More about Hula Hoops

Anybody can Hula Hoop!
Hula hoops are addictive, fun and once you start everyone wants to join in.I bought the tools to make my own hoop about 3 months ago, it was easy to make, and once I started everyone in my house wanted to join in. My brother in laws 12 year old son picked up a hoop and can't stop! Then the neighbors
Toys We Played And Being played Now
Find what is happening to the 2 billion dollars industry, and some latest toy announcementsEvery year, toy industry pops out many toys that stuns us, some may reminds you the very age when you are kids.

Flickr Photos of hula hoops

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Do you know how to yoyo?

Do you exercise with a hula hoop as an adult?

Always leave a comment if you can. I enjoy hearing from you.

  • KimGiancaterino Mar 13, 2012 @ 6:08 pm | delete
    I used to love doing both. Glad to see these classic toys are still popular.
  • earthybirthymama Nov 25, 2011 @ 11:31 pm | delete
    So much fun, also marbles! I love co-operative kids games and things that get them moving.
  • WindyWinters Jul 16, 2011 @ 2:18 pm | delete
    Fun games! I remember my hula hoop the best!
  • Jul 12, 2011 @ 12:28 pm | delete
    Reminds me of good times and friends in the summer time when I was a kid.
  • ElizabethJeanAllen Jul 10, 2011 @ 2:20 pm | delete
    I loved playing with a yo-yo but I wasn't very good with a hula hoop.
  • RitaK Oct 18, 2010 @ 10:51 pm | delete
    A great story on hula hooping for losing weight while having fun! On the side you can yo-yo!
  • Pukeko Sep 27, 2010 @ 3:13 pm | delete
    I think I am too old to hula-hoop anymore, but it sure brought back memories.
  • nightcats Jan 16, 2010 @ 9:10 pm | delete
    Thanks for the walk down memory lane. I remember Yoyos and Hula Hoops from my youth. What fun. Giving you a lensroll on m Hopping lens.
  • mshommec Nov 29, 2009 @ 8:35 am | delete
    I have a hulahoop! No, haven't tried it recently, but now I will! Fun to think about these special toys!
  • stargazer00 May 31, 2009 @ 11:15 am | delete
    I sure do remember hula hoops. They have made a come back! Lensrolled to Toys of our Baby Boomer Childhood
  • Shelly Mar 20, 2009 @ 11:32 am | delete
    I can still work a yo-yo pretty well. When I last tried a hula hoops some years back, I was quite surprised that the hoop was so subject to gravity and was mostly at my feet! It's not the same as riding a bike, I guess. Oddly, I keep thinking about it--perhaps I'll have to get one and once again master it. Have you considered a jump-rope lens? I work in a school and we recently had a fellow come in for a jump-rope demonstration--we were mesmerized! Maybe something to think about..........
  • Luie_R Jan 28, 2009 @ 4:52 am | delete
    I remember the hula-hoop! what a great toy! I also remember the brite colors on our hula-hoops like it was yesterday and as for the yo-yos we had so many different kinds plastic see through ones solid colors yo-yos wooden yo-yos, little nickle sized yo-yos medium and large yo-yos heck we even had yo-yos that only favored certain people hehe what i mean by that is their were some yo-yos that only certain people in our circle of friends that would only work for them. maybe they just had more of a magic wrist than the rest of us. Great memories
  • spirituality Jan 15, 2009 @ 6:02 am | delete
    They were fun weren't they? I was more a yoyo girl than a hula hoop one though :)
  • Debbie Oct 20, 2008 @ 8:46 pm | delete
    This is a great lens. It brings back great memories. It is hard to find the Duncan yo-yos, but they are still the best and ever so much fun!
    The hula-hoop is great if you want to exercise and lose some weight.
  • Jewelsofawe Oct 13, 2008 @ 5:38 pm | delete
    I used to hula hoop and who did not have a yo yo? Cool lens Joan!
  • Frankster Oct 5, 2008 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    Fun lens! I was always very good at the hula-hoop but I couldn't do yo-yos worth a darn. This really brings back the memories! Great job. Bear hugs, Frankster
  • Frankster Oct 5, 2008 @ 4:19 pm | delete
    Fun lens! I was always very good at the hula-hoop but I couldn't do yo-yos worth a darn. This really brings back the memories! Great job. Bear hugs, Frankster
  • rockycha Oct 1, 2008 @ 2:01 pm | delete
    Love the hulahooping! ***** just be sure you're gettin some! :)
  • MobyD Oct 1, 2008 @ 9:04 am | delete
    I always see hoops being used in acts at Faerieworlds. There's a group from British Columbia called Mythmakers that uses them, and this year there were at least a couple of vendors selling hoops. They were more ornate than the old Wham-o hoops I remember from the late 50s. And yes, I had a hula hoop back then!
  • Teddi14 Sep 12, 2008 @ 5:16 pm | delete
    Nice lens. My son was just playing with the hula-hoop yesterday. I am lensrolling it to my lens about classic timeless toys. 5 *'s
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