The Yoyo craze

[tiredmike59]

There really was a yoyo craze back around 1970-71. I remember when a group of people showed up at our school and performed a bunch of tricks with yoyos in the auditorium,I think "Duncan" was the company that sponsored the exhibition. They were trying to get kids interested in the yoyo and it sure worked because after a week every kid in school had one. Some yoyos were pretty elaborate and expensive but I just had a cheap wooden one. I was at a Department store with a friend one time and we saw three kids out front and one of them was bawling his head off because they got caught stealing yoyos. A security guard was making them take them all out of their pockets,they must have had a dozen. A cop was playing with one trying to get it to work and one of the kids was showing him how to do a trick with it. It got to be really dangerous walking down a crowded hall at school with all the yoyos flying in the air, the nurse's office was packed with kids that suffered eye injuries. After about a month they no longer allowed yoyos on school grounds. Not long after that a new and more dangerous toy arrived on the scene, " The Click Clack " It was 2 hard plastic balls on strings that you would whip back and forth real fast to get a neat sound. This toy was removed from the shelves and banned in the country. It caused many serious injuries. My sister still has her Click Clacks, never allowed her kids to even see them.

[Torgo]

Wow, I remember the Click Clacks, I didn't realize they were banned, not surprising, as they aren't the first or last toys to be banned.

[ponytail]

I was never any good with the yo yo. I guess I didn't practice enough. I do remember one of the Smothers brother's was great at it. He was fun to watch.

[JamesG]

I remember it had a resurgence in the 90s. I was never into it but a lot of my friends were at the time.

The phase didn't last long.

[Flying Dutchman]

I do remember the YoYo craze. I was in 3rd grade when this kid at our school had one taken away from him because he'd sneak it in class, and when teacher wasn't looking he would play with it. He so addicted to it.

There was the rubber ball and paddle craze too. remember the paddle a rubber band and ball. Paddle boards.

Then in the 90s you had hacky sack.

I do remember click clacks too. Those were tough to play.

And let's not forget the ever popular 80s craze, and still popular, Rubicks Cube.

[tiredmike59]

Originally Posted by Flying Dutchman

I do remember the YoYo craze. I was in 3rd grade when this kid at our school had one taken away from him because he'd sneak it in class, and when teacher wasn't looking he would play with it. He so addicted to it.

There was the rubber ball and paddle craze too. remember the paddle a rubber band and ball. Paddle boards.

Then in the 90s you had hacky sack.

I do remember click clacks too. Those were tough to play.

And let's not forget the ever popular 80s craze, and still popular, Rubicks Cube.

I remember the paddle ball toy, it was a cheapie. I think it was only 25 cents.
I found the Click Clacks on the Banned Toy Museum website, they were banned in 1985.

http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/bannedtoy/

[Flying Dutchman]

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

I remember the paddle ball toy, it was a cheapie. I think it was only 25 cents.
I found the Click Clacks on the Banned Toy Museum website, they were banned in 1985.

http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/bannedtoy/

I never knew that the click clacks were banned. But it makes sense. They could be used as a weapon. But so could a YoYo. I remember people learning to use them well, would snap the back of someones head, thinking it was funny.

[robyrob]

what kid in the 70's DIDN'T get whacked in the head with either a Yo-Yo, Click-Clack, or some other toy?

nowadays kids have to try a lot harder to get injured, or do stupid things like the cinnamon challenge or whatever. Back in my day you didn't just get these injuries handed to you; you had to earn them in a rap battle with your BMX and your skateboard and whatnot.

[Bonniegirl]

I loved yoyo's even though I wasn't that good at it. I don't know what they were called but does anyone remember something like a loop that you put your foot in attached to a string with a ball that swung around and you jumped over the ball with the other foot ? Something like that! And do any of you girls remember Chinese jump rope? I LOVED that!!

[Flying Dutchman]

Originally Posted by bonniegirl62

I loved yoyo's even though I wasn't that good at it. I don't know what they were called but does anyone remember something like a loop that you put your foot in attached to a string with a ball that swung around and you jumped over the ball with the other foot ? Something like that! And do any of you girls remember Chinese jump rope? I LOVED that!!

I remember that ball and hoop thing. My sister had one and her friends and her used to play with it in our driveway.

You know we didn't have the video games the kids have today. We had to invent things to do. That's where the imagination was. And the games we had were simple games. Then there were the family night board games, like Monopoly, Life, Clue, Sorry, Candy land for the kids and so on. But the only thing my sister really needed was a piece of chalk and a sidewalk, would keep her and her friends busy most of the day making their games.
I do miss those days.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by tiredmike59

I remember the paddle ball toy, it was a cheapie. I think it was only 25 cents.
I found the Click Clacks on the Banned Toy Museum website, they were banned in 1985.

http://www.burlingamepezmuseum.com/bannedtoy/

I loved the paddle ball toy!

[JamesG]

Originally Posted by bonniegirl62

I loved yoyo's even though I wasn't that good at it. I don't know what they were called but does anyone remember something like a loop that you put your foot in attached to a string with a ball that swung around and you jumped over the ball with the other foot ? Something like that! And do any of you girls remember Chinese jump rope? I LOVED that!!

The Lemon Twist?





A modified version, The Skip-It, was released in the 80s.

[Bonniegirl]

Originally Posted by JamesG

The Lemon Twist?





A modified version, The Skip-It, was released in the 80s.

I researched and the one I had was the "footsie"

[Flying Dutchman]

The Footsie is the one my sister had. Just like the one you had Bonnie.

[Steve_uk]

I remember all of the above. My sister had elastic skipping(don't know if it's the same as Chinese rope)where you had about 10 moves to do and if you missed a jump you had to go back to number one. We also had the Spacehopper around 1970 I think.