Various Newspaper Articles

Newspaper coverage

Browse archived newspaper articles, and advertisements, on the yo-yo. The earliest article we have found was from 1888. New Volumes will be added as they are completed. Feel free to download a copy.

Yo-yos appear in newspapers as toys, demonstrations, contests, retail promotions and recurring fashions. The items below link to free digitized copies so each can be checked. Summaries say what the newspaper reported; they are not independently confirmed history, so an invention credit or a report of an official ban is the paper’s own statement.

Earlier mention, 1839

A research search of free digitized newspapers found an earlier reference, under the older name bandalore: the Daily National Intelligencer, Washington, D.C., August 5, 1839, page 2. A column headed “PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS” lists “the whole progressive race of Bandalores, Devils on Sticks, Fizgigs, and other inventions of harmless playfulness” among earlier amusements displaced by writing books. It is the earliest newspaper mention confirmed in that search, not a claim to the first anywhere, and it does not describe what the attached volumes below contain.

Timeline

Years	Coverage
1839	A Washington newspaper lists bandalores among earlier amusements.
1929	Memphis reports local yo-yo interest and mentions Pedro Flores; Brownfield announces an adult contest.
1932	A Buchanan school hosts a yo-yo demonstration, while Eugene promotes a Duncan contest with newspaper and store sponsorship.
1932–1933	Newspapers discuss older names, report confiscations in Damascus, and describe yo-yo among games recommended for Chinese schools.
1950	A Laurel shoe advertisement offers free yo-yos, while a Dunedin retailer advertises their return.
1962	Hico school news records a yo-yo fashion among freshman boys.
1977–1985	An Earth contest offers a bicycle prize, and a Singapore advertisement promotes yo-yos and champion appearances.
1997	An Idaho profile mentions a regular yo-yo performance, and a Texas report describes renewed popularity, school promotion, and a school ban.

Notable newspaper items

Fifteen items, each read on a free digitized copy. “Page” opens the page or issue; “Text” opens the archive’s searchable text where one is offered separately. Page numbers follow the scan where the printed number is not visible.

Date	Newspaper	Headline	What it reports	Free copy
August 5, 1839	Daily National Intelligencer Washington, D.C.	PUBLIC AMUSEMENTS.	The authorship section places bandalores among earlier amusements displaced by writing books.	Page · Text
June 14, 1929	The Memphis Democrat Memphis, Texas	Yo-Yo Craze Comes To Memphis Along With Summer Heat	Reports local interest in yo-yos and attributes their invention to Santa Barbara busboy Pedro Flores.	Page · Text
July 19, 1929	The Terry County Herald Brownfield, Texas	Yo-Yo Contest to Be Held Here Saturday	Announces an adult yo-yo elimination contest in front of the Michie Drug Store and describes local men taking up the toy.	Page · Text
November 24, 1932	The Berrien County Record Buchanan, Michigan	Yo-yo Spinner Demonstrates to H. S. Assembly	Reports Jose Mackalad demonstrating named yo-yo tricks during a school assembly talk about the Philippine Islands.	Page
November 30, 1932	Eugene Register-Guard Eugene, Oregon	Portland YoYo Champ To Visit Here Saturday	Announces a Portland champion’s demonstration during a Duncan yo-yo contest sponsored by McMorran and Washburne and the Eugene Register-Guard.	Page · Text
December 8, 1932	The Evening Star Washington, D.C.	ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS	Answers a reader’s question about earlier yo-yo-like toys by discussing bandalores and the name quiz.	Page · Text
April 7, 1933	The Devil’s River News Sonora, Texas	YO-YO BLAMED FOR LACK OF RAINFALL	Reports that yo-yos were prohibited and confiscated on Damascus streets after local sheiks blamed them for drought.	Page · Text
April 26, 1933	Malaya Tribune Singapore, Straits Settlements (now Singapore)	NATIONAL SPORT.	Reports that China’s Ministry of Education ordered a revival of traditional school games and recommended yo-yo among them.	Page
August 16, 1950	Laurel Outlook Laurel, Montana	Advertisement	O. M. Wold Company offers a free yo-yo or comic book with each pair of children’s shoes.	Page · Text
October 7, 1950	Otago Daily Times Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand	Advertisement	Whitcombe & Tombs advertises yo-yos at 1s 6d and presents them as a returning fashion.	Page
April 20, 1962	The Hico News Review Hico, Texas	FRESHMAN TATTLER	The school-news column reports a yo-yo fashion among freshman boys and raises the prospect of a contest.	Page · Text
June 23, 1977	The Earth News-Sun Earth, Texas	Yo-Yo Contest	Announces a July 9 contest sponsored by Whites Auto and The Earth News-Sun, with a bicycle as first prize.	Page
February 8, 1985	The Straits Times Singapore, Singapore	Advertisement	An advertisement promotes Texan Yo-Yos and appearances by 14 international champions.	Page
July 16, 1997	The Argonaut Moscow, Idaho	Sword swallower calls Moscow home	Profiles Brad Byers and reports his annual yo-yo act at the Nez Perce County Fair.	Page
November 28, 1997	Midland Reporter-Telegram Midland, Texas	Yo-yos bounce back into popularity with children	Reports renewed yo-yo interest, a ban at Carrie E. Tompkins Elementary School, and Duncan’s television promotion and school lesson plans.	Page · Text

Downloads

The issue PDFs are copies from the digitizing archives named in each file’s caption. Issues from before 1931 are in the public domain in the United States. Later issues may still be under copyright, so check the source archive’s rights statement before reusing them. Three Library of Congress pages listed above (1839, 1932 and 1950) are linked rather than hosted here.