History / About
American Spinners was founded in 1988 by Bill Cress and made one-piece wooden yo-yos with exotic finishes, according to the YoYo Wiki, which says the line was still produced as late as 1999. The Yo-Yo Museum says the company began during the late-1980s boom from the Smothers Brothers Yo-Yo Man routine, seeking a high-quality one-piece yo-yo like those of the golden age, and that all models except one used the same standard blank, with a raised logo face. The Pocket Rocket, from around 1988-1990, was a one-piece wooden yo-yo that the Yo-Yo Museum says was actually made in Sweden by Halvorsen, the same company behind many wooden yo-yos sold in Canada in the 1960s and 1970s; its shape matches the Canadian National Olympic and National Pro Tournament models. The seal reads “Sweden” and the museum rates its quality below the Standard and Collector models. Original retail price was $4. The YoYo Wiki calls it a Swedish beechwood import.
