History / About
The Professional is the direct evolution of the Championship, progressively rebranded from the mid-1970s as Russell standardized its global lineup. It became the backbone of Russell’s Coca-Cola promotions across 95 countries, making it arguably the most widely distributed yo-yo model in history. The two-tone opaque plastic body with white inner sections and starburst response was manufactured first in the Philippines, then Korea. Post-1998 versions produced with the THP partnership used translucent colored plastic with rings around the sidecaps. In addition to Coca-Cola, the Professional was produced for McDonald’s, Volkswagen, Shell, Go Fly A Kite, YoYoGuy.com, and Daft Punk across different eras.
