67-408: A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo ) is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks , and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool . It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in the 17th century. It is played by holding the free end of the string known as the handle (by inserting one finger—usually the middle or ring finger—into
134-736: A Filipino immigrant to the United States, opened the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California . The business started with a dozen handmade toys; by November 1929, Flores was operating two additional factories in Los Angeles and Hollywood, which all together employed 600 workers and produced 300,000 units daily. The principal distinction between the Filipino design popularized by Flores and
201-481: A cognate word from the Philippines . A Greek vase painting from 440 BC shows a boy playing with a yo-yo (see right). Greek records from the period describe toys made out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta (fired clay). The terra cotta disks were used to ceremonially offer the toys of youth to certain gods when a child came of age—discs of other materials were used for actual play. In 1928, Pedro Flores ,
268-401: A propeller shaft or tailshaft ) which transmits the rotational force to a drive axle at the rear of the vehicle. The drive axle may be a live axle , but modern rear-wheel drive automobiles generally use a split axle with a differential. In this case, one half-axle or half-shaft connects the differential with the left rear wheel, a second half-shaft does the same with the right rear wheel; thus
335-404: A slip knot ), allowing gravity (or the force of a throw and gravity) to spin the yo-yo and unwind the string (similar to how a pullstring works). The player then allows the yo-yo to wind itself back to the player's hand, exploiting its spin (and the associated rotational energy ). This is often called "yo-yoing" or "playing yo-yo". In the simplest play, the string is intended to be wound on
402-433: A "bind" for the yo-yo to return. In competition, mastery of sleeping is the basis for the 1A division. Inexpensive fixed-axle yo-yos usually spin between 10 and 20 seconds, while the expensive ball bearing yo-yos can spin about 1–4 minutes depending on the throw. As of 2010, the world record sleep times were 3:51.54 minutes for fixed-axle and 21:15.17 minutes for transaxle yo-yos. In 2012, the transaxle yo-yo sleep time record
469-429: A differential (kart racing). However, other go-karts have two rear drive wheels too. Some dump trucks and trailers may be configured with a lift axle (also known as an airlift axle or drop axle ), which may be mechanically raised or lowered. The axle is lowered to increase the weight capacity, or to distribute the weight of the cargo over more wheels, for example, to cross a weight-restricted bridge. When not needed,
536-603: A federal court of appeal ruled in favor of the Royal Tops Company, determining that yo-yo had become a part of common speech and that Duncan no longer had exclusive rights to the term. As a result of the expenses incurred by this legal battle as well as other financial pressures, the Duncan family sold the company name and associated trademarks in 1968 to Flambeau, Inc, which had manufactured Duncan's plastic models since 1955. As of 2020, Flambeau Plastics continued to run
603-466: A full-floating axle is that even if an axle shaft (used to transmit torque or power) breaks, the wheel will not come off, preventing serious accidents. Tom Kuhn Tom Kuhn (also known as Dr. Yo ) is an American dentist and yo-yo designer based in San Francisco, California . Dissatisfied with the plastic yoyos of the 1970s, and nostalgic for the wooden yoyos of his youth, Kuhn developed
670-403: A one-piece rear beam axle. In other types of suspension systems, the axles serve only to transmit driving torque to the wheels: the position and angle of the wheel hubs is made independent from the axles by the function of the suspension system. This is typical of the independent suspensions found on most newer cars, and even SUVs, and on the front of many light trucks. An exception to this rule
737-413: A protruding hub to which the axle shaft flange is bolted. The semi-floating axle setup is commonly used on half-ton and lighter 4×4 trucks in the rear. This setup allows the axle shaft to be the means of propulsion, and also support the weight of the vehicle. The main difference between the full- and semi-floating axle setups is the number of bearings. The semi-floating axle features only one bearing, while
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#1732797519059804-401: A responsive yoyo to return to the hand. This style of yoyoing is the most popular and the most common, and the most yoyo tricks are done with 1A yoyos. Looping is a yo-yo technique which emphasizes keeping the body of two yo-yos, one on each hand, in constant motion, with or without sleeping. Yo-yos optimized for looping have weight concentrated in their centers so they may easily rotate about
871-658: A severe drought. In 1946, the Duncan Toys Company opened a yo-yo factory in Luck, Wisconsin . The Duncan yo-yo was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame at The Strong in Rochester, New York , in 1999. Declining sales after World War II prompted Duncan to launch a comeback campaign for his trademarked "Yo-Yo" in 1962 with a series of television advertisements . In a trademark case in 1965,
938-400: A single unit called a transaxle . The drive axle is a split axle with a differential and universal joints between the two half axles. Each half axle connects to the wheel by use of a constant velocity (CV) joint which allows the wheel assembly to move freely vertically as well as to pivot when making turns. In rear-wheel drive cars and trucks, the engine turns a driveshaft (also called
1005-498: A system described Mark Mcbride in his work about yo-yo theory, the Yonomicon. This system is similar to Ross Levine's "Modern Yoyo Notation". Modern yo-yo notation is designed to be ambidextrous, further eschewing terms like "clockwise" and "counterclockwise". Eventually, wider string gaps and silicone response systems led to the innovation of unresponsive yoyoing, otherwise known as 1A. Traditional yoyos (responsive) would return to
1072-427: A turn at all. Several manufacturers offer computer-controlled airlifts so that the dead axles are automatically lowered when the main axle reaches its weight limit. The dead axles can still be lifted by the press of a button if needed, for better maneuverability. Lift axles were in use in the early 1940s. Initially, the axle was lifted by a mechanical device. Soon hydraulics replaced the mechanical lift system. One of
1139-403: Is a group of two or more axles situated close together. Truck designs use such a configuration to provide a greater weight capacity than a single axle. Semi-trailers usually have a tandem axle at the rear. Axles are typically made from SAE grade 41xx steel or SAE grade 10xx steel. SAE grade 41xx steel is commonly known as " chrome-molybdenum steel " (or "chrome-moly") while SAE grade 10xx steel
1206-500: Is a single bearing at the end of the axle housing that carries the load from the axle and that the axle rotates through. To be "semi-floating" the axle shafts must be able to "float" in the housing, bearings and seals, and not subject to axial "thrust" and/or bearing preload. Needle bearings and separate lip seals are used in semi-floating axles with axle retained in the housing at their inner ends typically with circlips which are 3¾-round hardened washers that slide into grooves machined at
1273-441: Is attached to a separate shaft. Modern passenger cars have split-drive axles. In some designs, this allows independent suspension of the left and right wheels, and therefore a smoother ride. Even when the suspension is not independent, split axles permit the use of a differential, allowing the left and right drive wheels to be driven at different speeds as the automobile turns, improving traction and extending tire life. A tandem axle
1340-465: Is fitted around the axle. Also termed a looped slip-string , this seemingly minor modification allows for a far greater variety and sophistication of motion, thanks to increased stability and suspension of movement during free spin. Shortly thereafter (c. 1929), entrepreneur Donald F. Duncan recognized the potential of this new fad and purchased the Flores yo-yo Corporation and all its assets, including
1407-445: Is known as " carbon steel ". The primary differences between the two are that chrome-moly steel is significantly more resistant to bending or breaking, and is very difficult to weld with tools normally found outside a professional welding shop. An axle that is driven by the engine or prime mover is called a drive axle . Modern front-wheel drive cars typically combine the transmission (gearbox and differential) and front axle into
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#17327975190591474-536: Is no sound historical evidence that yo-yos were ever used as weapons; the notion is believed to have been a marketing gimmick disseminated by Duncan yo-yo demonstrators in the early years of the company. Regardless, the notion that yo-yos can be used as weapons persists to this day in pop culture , as in the Chinese television series Blazing Teens , and in the Japanese Guilty Gear franchise by
1541-419: Is one of the most common yo-yo throws and is the basis for nearly all yo-yo throws other than looping . Keeping a yo-yo spinning while remaining at the end of its uncoiled string is known as sleeping. While the yo-yo is in the "sleeping" state at the end of the string, one can then execute tricks like "walk the dog", "the elevator", "around the world", or the slightly more complex "rock the baby". The essence of
1608-556: Is the World Yo-Yo Contest . Outside of the competition scene, yo-yo players regularly share videos of their yo-yo tricks on the Internet; a common place players do so is on Instagram , using the hashtag "#trickcircle". Some yo-yo players have also found modest success outside the yo-yo community, going viral on TikTok , gaining significant YouTube followings, or being featured guests on television programs. The sleeper
1675-423: Is the independent (rear) swing axle suspension, wherein the half-axles are also load-bearing suspension arms. Independent drive-trains still need differentials (or diffs), but without fixed axle-housing tubes attached. The diff may be attached to the vehicle frame or body, and/or be integrated with the transmission (or gearbox) in a combined transaxle unit. The axle (half-)shafts then transmit driving torque to
1742-461: Is usually launched into the air by performing a "forward pass" to be caught again on the string. However, some players can 'throw down' off-string yo-yos and catch it on the string just as it leaves the end of the string by pivoting the string around a finger as it unwinds, so that the yo-yo is caught on the string. This is exactly the opposite of a "forward pass", but with the same result. Yo-yos optimized for off-string tricks have flared designs, like
1809-475: The "No-Jive" yoyo, which is popular to the present. Kuhn's own dental patients provided him support in his yo-yo career, with a lawyer patient advising him on a patent, and another advising he contact NASA regarding new space-age materials. Kuhn continued his dentistry while working in the yo-yo field, displaying his yo-yo collection in the lobby of the Victorian home used as his office. In 1979, Kuhn set
1876-402: The "modern" era of yo-yo. The modern era of yo-yo is characterized by markedly more complicated and sophisticated yo-yo techniques than came before in addition to a plethora of different yo-yo designs created to serve various niche purposes. This increased complexity of yo-yo play was allowed by the introduction of the ball-bearing technology to yo-yos, which enabled yo-yos to spin much longer than
1943-435: The 4A division for off-string tricks. In freehand tricks, the yo-yo's string is not tied to the player's hand, instead ending in a counterweight. The counterweight is then thrown from hand to hand and used as an additional element in the trick. Developed in 1999 by Steve Brown , as of 2008 freehand is considered to be the fastest-growing style of yo-yo play. Steve Brown was awarded a patent on his freehand yo-yo system, which
2010-576: The Flores name, which was transferred to the new company in 1932. The name "Yo-yo" was registered in 1932 as a trademark by Sam Dubiner in Vancouver, Canada, and Harvey Lowe won the first World Yo-Yo Contest in London, England. In 1932, Swedish Kalmartrissan yo-yos started to be manufactured as well. In 1933, yo-yos were banned in Syria , because many locals superstitiously blamed the use of them for
2077-640: The SB-2 yo-yo that had an aluminum transaxle, making it the first successful ball-bearing yo-yo. The SB2 was originally offered only in a natural silver color, but as time went on, it became available in many different colors, with various decorative embellishments. In all transaxle yo-yos, ball bearings significantly reduce friction when the yo-yo is spinning, enabling longer and more complex tricks. Subsequent yo-yo players used this ability to their advantage, creating new tricks that had not been possible with fixed-axle designs. There are many new types of ball bearings in
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2144-400: The axle is lifted off the ground to save wear on the tires and axle, and to increase traction in the remaining wheels, and to decrease fuel consumption. Lifting an axle also alleviates lateral scrubbing of the additional axle in very tight turns, allowing the vehicle to turn more readily. In some situations, the removal of pressure from the additional axle is necessary for the vehicle to complete
2211-422: The axle, and controls the angle of the axle and wheels assembly to the vehicle body. The solid axles (housings) in this system must also bear the weight of the vehicle plus any cargo. A non-driving axle, such as the front beam axle in heavy-duty trucks and some two-wheel drive light trucks and vans, will have no shaft, and serves only as a suspension and steering component. Conversely, many front-wheel drive cars have
2278-441: The axle. In the former case, bearings or bushings are provided at the mounting points where the axle is supported. In the latter case, a bearing or bushing sits inside a central hole in the wheel to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle. Sometimes, especially on bicycles, the latter type of axle is referred to as a spindle . On cars and trucks, several senses of the word axle occur in casual usage, referring to
2345-452: The balls of the bearing, to reduce internal friction, again making for a smoother spinning yo-yo. Precious materials such as ruby have also been used as a material in prototype ball bearings for its properties such as extreme hardness. The material was first tested in a prototype bearing made by Wolf Yoyo Works in May 2018. The era following the yo-yo boom of the late 1990s is often referred to as
2412-426: The bearings, housings, and only a short section of the shaft itself, that also carries all radial loads. The full-floating design is typically used in most ¾- and 1-ton light trucks, medium-duty trucks, and heavy-duty trucks. The overall assembly can carry more weight than a semi-floating or non-floating axle assembly because the hubs have two bearings riding on a fixed spindle. A full-floating axle can be identified by
2479-406: The butterfly shape, which makes it easier to land on the string, and often have soft rubber rings on the edges, so minimum damage is inflicted on the yo-yo, the player, or anyone who happens to be standing nearby, should a trick go wrong. There are also tricks which involve the use of two off-string yoyos at the same time, thrown with the same hand, this is known as "soloham". Yo-yo competitions have
2546-403: The character Bridget (whose giant yo-yo's movements were a considerable challenge to animate). The popular sandbox adventure game Terraria features many yo-yo weapons. Axle An axle or axletree is a central shaft for a rotating wheel or gear . On wheeled vehicles, the axle may be fixed to the wheels, rotating with them, or fixed to the vehicle, with the wheels rotating around
2613-491: The company. As popularity spread through the 1970s and 1980s, there were a number of innovations in yo-yo technology, primarily regarding the connection between the string and the axle. In 1979, dentist and yo-yo celebrity Tom Kuhn patented the "No Jive 3-in-1" yo-yo, creating the world's first "take-apart" yo-yo, which enabled yo-yo players to change the axle. Swedish bearing company SKF briefly manufactured novelty yo-yos with ball bearings in 1984. In 1990, Kuhn introduced
2680-403: The debut of Velvet Rolls, coupled with the rise of unresponsive yoyo play, that development began on what is currently considered Triple A. This is the most complex style and is the most likely to obtain knots, dings, and clangs. In competition, two handed string tricks have the 3A division. In the "off-string" technique, the yo-yo's string is not tied directly to the yo-yo's axle, and the yo-yo
2747-461: The early manufacturers was Zetterbergs, located in Östervåla, Sweden. Their brand was Zeta-lyften. The liftable tandem drive axle was invented in 1957 by the Finnish truck manufacturer Vanajan Autotehdas , a company sharing history with Sisu Auto . A full-floating axle carries the vehicle's weight on the axle casing, not the half-shafts; they serve only to transmit torque from the differential to
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2814-533: The first modern Triple A trick appeared in Fiend Magazine and was called the Velvet Rolls. The different mounts in this style are referred to as houses (e.g. "Kink House"). Photos from as early as the late 1950s show early yo-yo demonstrators performing very basic 3A tricks, such as a Sleeper with one hand, and a Trapeze with the other. While 3A as a concept has existed for many years, it was not until
2881-508: The full-floating assembly has bearings on both the inside and outside of the wheel hub. The other difference is axle removal. To remove the semi-floating axle, the wheel must be removed first; if such an axle breaks, the wheel is most likely to come off the vehicle. The semi-floating design is found under most ½-ton and lighter trucks, as well as in SUVs and rear-wheel-drive passenger cars, usually being smaller or less expensive models. A benefit of
2948-432: The hand when one would tug on the string, but unresponsive yoyos behave a little differently. Instead of returning to the hand when one tugs on the string, one has to perform a trick called a "bind" where the string is doubled over inside the string gap to increase friction on the response system. This has brought about innovation of many different kinds of tricks involving leaving slack in the string, as this would have caused
3015-461: The inner end of the shafts and retained in/by recesses in the differential carrier side gears which are themselves retained by the differential pinion gear (or "spider gear") shaft. A true semi-floating axle assembly places no side loads on the axle housing tubes or axle shafts. Axles that are pressed into ball or tapered roller bearings, which are in turn retained in the axle housings with flanges, bolts, and nuts do not "float" and place axial loads on
3082-483: The market which deviate from the original design and/or material of the standard stainless steel ball bearing. For example, a certain type of bearing has an inward facing curved surface, to prevent the string from rubbing on the sides of the yo-yo, which would cause unwanted friction when performing intricate string tricks. Other manufacturers replicate this with a similar inwardly curved surface, but use minor modifications. Some high-end bearings use ceramic composites in
3149-421: The more traditional yo-yos is in the way the yo-yo is strung. In older (and some remaining inexpensive) yo-yo designs, the string is tied to the axle using a knot. With this technique, the yo-yo just goes back and forth; it returns easily, but it is impossible to make it sleep. In Flores's design, one continuous piece of string, double the desired length, is twisted around something to produce a loop at one end which
3216-429: The overall weight-bearing capacity of a vehicle, and its potential for causing wear or damage to roadway surfaces. Axles are an integral component of most practical wheeled vehicles. In a solid, "live-axle" suspension system, the rotating inner axle cores (or half-shafts) serve to transmit driving torque to the wheels at each end, while the rigid outer tube maintains the position of the wheels at fixed angles relative to
3283-407: The shaft itself, its housing, or simply any transverse pair of wheels. Strictly speaking, a shaft that rotates with the wheel, being either bolted or splined in fixed relation to it, is called an axle or axle shaft . However, in looser usage, an entire assembly including the surrounding axle housing (typically a casting ) is also called an axle . An even broader (somewhat figurative) sense of
3350-429: The slack created in the string will allow it to begin winding around the shaft, thereby increasing friction and allowing it to catch as the static friction force rises above the gravitation force holding the yo-yo at the bottom of the string, making the yo-yo wind up the string returning to the hand. Patents have been issued to create more complicated mechanisms to allow tension control and an adjustable mechanism. There
3417-428: The split bottom mount. Sidestyle mounts include the man on the flying trapeze. Combinations can be produced by transitioning from one mount to another in various ways. Combinations which can repeat indefinitely are called "repeaters". Loops are yoyo tricks that consist of the yoyo looping around the throw hand. A certain class of looping tricks, regens, are tricks that add spin to a yoyo without having to return it to
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#17327975190593484-459: The spool by hand; the yo-yo is thrown downward, hits the end of the string then winds up the string toward the hand, and finally the yo-yo is grabbed, ready to be thrown again. One of the most basic tricks is called the sleeper , where the yo-yo spins at the end of the string for a noticeable amount of time before returning to the hand. The word yo-yo probably comes from the Ilocano term yóyo, or
3551-401: The string with a loop, there may not be enough frictional force to overcome the weight of the yo-yo, which is necessary to begin winding up the string. In this case, the yo-yo will continue to spin in the loop at the end of the string (or sleep ), just being slightly braked by the small dynamic friction, instead of returning. However, if the string is jerked slightly up, or the hand is lowered,
3618-461: The string's axis without their mass contributing to resistance due to a gyroscopic effect. In yo-yo competitions, looping both to the inside and outside of the hand with the yo-yo plays a strong role in the 2A division. Sometimes the yoyos would wrap around arms, legs, or necks. Also known as two hands looping freestyle. Two handed or 3A style play involves doing string tricks with two flared bearing yo-yos. Popularized and pioneered by Mark McBride,
3685-402: The throw is that one throws the yo-yo with a very pronounced wrist action so that when the yo-yo reaches the end of the string it spins in place rather than rolling back up the string to the thrower's hand. Most modern yo-yos have a transaxle or ball bearing to assist this, but if it is a fixed axle yo-yo, the tension must be loose enough to allow this. The two main ways to do this are (1), allow
3752-537: The throwing hand. Because regens switch between frontstyle and sidestyle, they are frequently used to transition between frontstyle and sidestyle combinations. Certain tricks, such as the UFO and Sidewinder, can alter the string tension, making it looser or tighter, thereby altering the response of the yo-yo. This also allows for a certain type of trick called slack tricks to be completed with greater ease. Several methods of notating yo-yo tricks have been formulated, including
3819-458: The two half-axles and the differential constitute the rear axle. The front drive axle is providing the force to drive the truck. In fact, only one wheel of that axle is actually moving the truck and trailer down the road. Some simple vehicle designs, such as leisure go-karts, may have a single driven wheel where the drive axle is a split axle with only one of the two shafts driven by the engine, or else have both wheels connected to one shaft without
3886-402: The use of the free hand. Unlike 1A, modern responsive deliberately abstains from tricks that involve sleeping, frequently replacing mounts with stalls. When the yo-yo is first released, the gravity (and the throw) give it translational kinetic energy and necessarily, since the string must unwind, much of this energy is converted into rotational kinetic energy establishing the free movement of
3953-400: The wheel positions steady under heavy stress, and can therefore support heavy loads. Straight axles are used on trains (that is, locomotives and railway wagons), for the rear axles of commercial trucks, and on heavy-duty off-road vehicles. The axle can optionally be protected and further reinforced by enclosing the length of the axle in a housing. In split-axle designs, the wheel on each side
4020-403: The wheels, usually via constant-velocity joints . Like a full floating axle system, the drive shafts in a front-wheel-drive independent suspension system do not support any vehicle weight. A straight axle is a single rigid shaft connecting a wheel on the left side of the vehicle to a wheel on the right side. The axis of rotation fixed by the axle is common to both wheels. Such a design can keep
4087-400: The wheels. They "float" inside an assembly that carries the vehicle's weight. Thus the only stress it must endure is torque (not lateral bending force). Full-floating axle shafts are retained by a flange bolted to the hub , while the hub and bearings are retained on the spindle by a large nut. In contrast, a semi-floating design carries the weight of the vehicle on the axle shaft itself; there
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#17327975190594154-411: The word refers to every pair of parallel wheels on opposite sides of a vehicle, regardless of their mechanical connection to each other and to the vehicle frame or body. Thus, transverse pairs of wheels in an independent suspension may be called an axle in some contexts. This very loose definition of "axle" is often used in assessing toll roads or vehicle taxes , and is taken as a rough proxy for
4221-399: The yo-yo to sit at the bottom of the string to unwind, or (2) perform lariat or UFO to loosen the tension. When one decides to end the "sleeping" state, one merely jerks the wrist and the yo-yo "catches" the string and rolls back up to the hand. Ball-bearing yo-yos with a "butterfly" shape, primarily used for string tricks, frequently have a low response or are completely unresponsive, requiring
4288-406: The yo-yo, and causing it to spin rapidly. As the yo-yo unwinds downward, it also converts potential energy from gravity to translational energy in its rotation to overcome gravity all the way back up to the hand. Because the sense of spinning does not change during the whole move, the string winds up in the opposite direction upon the return of the yo-yo. If the shaft of the yo-yo is connected to
4355-431: Was assigned to Flambeau Products ( Duncan's parent company). Duncan patented the counterweight, and no one was able to design a unique weight. However, since March 28, 2020, the patent has expired. In yo-yo competitions, counterweight yo-yos are emphasized in the 5A division. Modern responsive yo-yo can be thought of as 2A with a single yoyo, but differs from 2A in the fact that it, like 1A, has access to tricks involving
4422-499: Was broken by the C3YoyoDesign BTH, with a time of 30:28.30 minutes. A traditional sleeper throw is employed to start frontstyle combinations, whereas a sideways sleeper, or "breakaway" is used to start sidestyle combinations. Yo-yo tricks in which the yo-yo comes to be sitting a string are called mounts. Transitions are employed to move from one mount to another. Frontstyle mounts include the under and over mounts, as well as
4489-432: Was previously possible. This, in addition to the advent of the bind technique and unresponsive yo-yoing equipped yo-yo players with an essentially limitless amount of freedom, with which they were able to create myriad yo-yo tricks and techniques. In the wake of this revolution that took place in yo-yo, a landscape of yo-yo competitions tailored towards this modern style of yo-yo play emerged. One example of such competitions
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