Yo-yoing has come a long way in the past decade. As some of you may know, the hobby of yo-yoing underwent a large boom in the late 90’s, specifically 1998-2000, give or take a year.
I was not around at this time. The leading cause, from what I have heard and read about, was extensive marketing, and the utilization of the bearing. Keep in mind, at this time, the internet was not as easily accessible as it is today.
With the help of Hans, or YoHans (current owner of YYF), Donald Duncan Jr., and eventually World Team Proyo, yo-yoing spread to many continents. Hans performed in over 20 countries if memory serves me right. He appeared on TV, in music videos, and venues across the globe, promoting the hobby he so wholly enjoyed. He promoted the simple toy as so much more, something amazing. The yo-yo he promoted, the turbo bumble bee, was affordable, and mass produced, therefore easy to come by.
The boom was also aided by Bandai and Yomega, whom promoted yo-yos heavily, through different media. Performances still brought this toy to kids and adults around the country. This may be false, so correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Doc Pop and Ed had blogs that were fairly popular soon after the boom.
In the 90’s, the popular yo-yos coming from the companies like Proyo and Team Losi were cheap, sub-$20 yo-yos, but they got it done. Of course there were high end yo-yos that performed better, that not everybody had, such as the $150 Cold Fusion and its GT (butterfly shaped) counterpart, alongside the $200 Samurai. Later on, in the mid-2000s, there were affordable yo-yos again, such as the Freehand, but higher end like Oxys. Here we are in 2015, with a TON of high ends, I don’t think anyone would argue that. However, our cheaper yo-yos are just as good. A $16 yo-yo won Nationals. The same $16 yo-yo is mass produced, and the question I ask is, why isn’t there one in everybody’s hand?
Reality is, is 1998, you were limited by what you had. A turbo bumble bee or cherry bomb was not allowing you to do the same tricks as the cold fusion gt. I know it’s the player, and not the throw, however there was a noticeable difference between the lower and higher end models. Since these throws were still responsive for the most part, the butterfly shape of the CFGT was huge for the advancement of string tricks.
Fast forward to 2004-2005, with the emergence of the Freehand. This is the first time an affordable yo-yo can do most of the advanced string tricks that a higher end model is capable of. Oxy’s, Anti-Yo, and ILYY, among others, are luxuries, instead of what’s needed to be successful. However, there’s still room for improvement in the lower end industry. This time period saw the birth and refinement of mods such as the silicon recess.
Here we are in 2015. Our affordable yo-yos play well enough to win nationals. It is simply not necessary to own multiple $200 throws when you can have a Replay Pro for $16. Everything above that throw is a luxury, which of course most of us opt for. This is the prime time for a boom, when price no longer hampers playability.
The thought of a potential boom brings up an important question, is a boom really what we need?
This is what I would like to hear everyone’s opinions on. A boom generally results in a subsequent bust at some point in the future. Is the community stable enough to support a boom or bust? The yo-yo industry seems pretty healthy to me. There are a ton of manufacturers, and every new model is better than the last. However, there still aren’t that many people interested in the hobby. Every new release more or less is bought by people on this forum, and that isn’t doing anything to bring more people into the hobby.
If marketing really is the key to a boom in yo-yos, I personally believe it would be best performed by the largest and most influential company, Yoyofactory. Hans was the driving force behind the last boom, let’s let history repeat itself. Hans doesn’t seem to lurk here, but I know Ben does.
That being said, if you see this Ben, let it be food for thought. I’d love to hear your outlook on this topic. You and Hans run the most successful company today, despite what anybody says. You have a model that plays well and is less than $20. You have a player who’s won nationals and worlds, and has his name on the aforementioned sub-$20 yoyo. Take advantage of it.
Of course CLYW has a similar player, but doesn’t yet have the line of affordable yo-yos for those just getting into the hobby.
Opinions, comments, and corrections are welcome. I’d love to hear from those who’ve stuck around from the last boom.
