I’m starting to see people with yoyos on the streets every once in a while, not just butterflys and things like that, im talking Protostars, BOSS, Primo’s, even a CLYW every now and then. If yoyoexpert made a commercial on TV, that might be what the world needs to push it over the edge!! Just something to let people know what yoyoing has become, and how they can learn to do it!
Yoyoing isn’t as big as you’re imagining it. While more and more people are joining the community, sites like YYE don’t get enough traffic to make TV commercials, much less one on a highly-viewed channel.
It would be amazing if they did!
I was just speaking with the owner of a store and they were telling me how hard it is to actually keep enough traffic through the store to keep stock levels high. Its a shame because if more people knew I am sure the yoyo community itself would grow.
WE are the advertising.
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If everyone started to yoyo, it wouldn’t be as cool to other people, because everyone can do it. Then a lot of people would quit, and it would be back to the way it was before.
Before?
This is also one of those things that “when you’re in, you notice it more” sort of things. At the same time, right now I think we’re seeing yoyos on the upside of the trend. It goes in cycles, up and down. I know for sure that I’m sticking with this, trend or no trend.
I think right now the yoyo is on the upward side of the cycle, which is good. I think more “kids” are getting into this to be different, unique or to even “rebel” against the “norm” of video games and “mainstream sports”. We should all be reminded that yoyo was a national and world craze, heavily marketed, and highly published and covered on many forms of media. This isn’t new. The real thing to think about is “who joins because of the trend and who joins and sticks with it when the trend dies down”. We’ll always gain numbers on the upward side of the trend and lose numbers as the trend peaks and starts to taper off. It’s those new permanent additions that are important to maintaining the yoyo as a hobby and/or sport for the next batch.
There’s no reason the yoyo can’t go mainstream. There’s also no reason it can’t stay mainstream. It is a skill toy, so it requires some actual effort to really truly enjoy. I can say that I strongly feel my efforts into learning this have been well rewarded.
What I find interesting but equally good are how many adults are either returning to this, or like me, really starting it as “older players”. Ageless and timeless.
Chris I totally agree with you. Its definitely on the upside of the trend and like years ago the test will be who stays with it as they move through high school and onto college. You can see at times on the BST the “moving to college sale” or the “i don’t throw anymore” sales by those who are shedding their yoyo along with whatever they or their peers view as “immature” or “childish.” From what I’ve seen it isn’t until you’re an adult that you realize that it really doesn’t matter and you should do what you enjoy!
I have noticed more people about yoyoing. That being said, I really don’t think there is going to be another boom. I think yoyoing will gradually become more popular as a hobby, and flatline at the level of a slightly uncommon hobby, that is still known by a good number of people. I really don’t think we’ll see another yoyo “boom”. The reason I say this is because back then, yoyoing was more of a toy. Today its more of a hobby. I can see more people getting into yoyoing, but its not quite as easy to pick up as it was back then.
I have only seen one person other then my friends yoyo, and he was in England.
That’s one thing I don’t ever want to do. Give up yoyoing because it’s not mainstream or I’m going to college or something. I’m about to turn 14 and it’s like at my school most people just care about what everyone else is doing. Sure I’ve gone through a 2 month time where I didn’t throw at all but I don’t want to give it up.
I think that part of what makes people see yoyoing as so amazing is that it’s not very popular so they have never seen it before. Like Studio said, it goes in cycles. If everyone gets into it people won’t get the same reaction that they gave other people when they saw maybe simpler tricks. Everyone will know how easy a trick is. Then eventually we would go onto the downside of the cycle. And I think it would just go on and on.
I remember watching this guy my age, wearing a YYE shirt messing with his dark magic through the window at Wendy’s. Oh wait… That was my reflection. In all reality outside of people at contests, I haven’t seen anyone out and about really into yoyoing, just the ones who may play for a week then shove it off somewhere.
Yoyoing will never become a hard core mainstream hobby or sport. The reason is because it takes patience and focus to develop skills to do what we do. Aside from just going up and down, people lack the patience and time to focus on an art such as ours. We are truly an eclectic and gifted group. Of course there are the booms every 10 to 15 years because yoyoing still remains an enigma for the mainstream audience. It will come. They see us do what we do and want to do it to. When they get frustrated and or tired of trying, the boom will stop. This is usually just enough time for a bunch of new companies to rise up and make some money. it will be the best companies that will make what they can out of the boom, and with our continued support, to survive till the next boom. And we will be just enough to keep them going along the way because most of the good companies were started by people in our little world family. I do see though we pick up more and more in each and every boom but not enough to ever consider us mainstream outside the “boom era”. I say it’s no use trying to make it mainstream and to continue doing what we do no matter what. If others come to tag along the ride then that’s fine. If they stay the ride then I say…
Welcome to yoyoexpert, my name is ghost. Nice to meet you. ;D
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To me one of the greatest things to do to get people to watch you yoyo is when you’re at an airport. You get that awesome feel and it feels even better when you people whispering “aw that is so cool.” I wish more people would get into yoyoing you would have more people to talk to about it.
I don’t really think its because they lack patience or skills. Its just that many people choose to invest their time in other hobbies and interests. Yoyoing is not for everyone.
We should have a day where everyone … And I mean everyone who yoyos in this forum or just yoos period…in every city/state …goes out to a public place … Where there are a lot of people … And just start throwing … Lol n spread the word
I think if everyone does it the same day n time it would be epic … N we should all record it n make it a huge video from all of the 50 states n call it … The new yoyo revolution …
Just a thought to spread the word 
For example tomorrow is independence day … Perfect place is in dc or wherever you go to watch fireworks.
Maybe too late now but something similar
yoyoing is miniscule, im saying that a commercial might make it a little bigger.
PERFECT. sometimes on july 4 i bring out my pulse and impress people. (off topic, but people seem to be more impressed with rock the baby then boing e boing or mach 5. -_-
Yea, I agree that most yo-yoers are hoping for the boom. The idea is that we want this to be mainstream not where everyone’s doing it because it’s cool, it’s mainstream because people do it for the fun of it.
However, I think the real goal is to strive for less ignorance. Getting yo-yo mainstream also means letting those people who don’t yo-yo see it not as some kid’s toy but an art form or deviant culture. I think that’s what we should be advertising, the evolution, not “you should play because not everyone does.”
Just my opinion
BOOM or pop…
I don’t see a boom myself. The forums and online stores appear to be languishing to a large extent. Of the active forums, YYE seems to be the only one with much traffic lately. One of the other ones has 5-6 posts per month since December 2012 and they’re all on the first page. I don’t know how the YYE sales are going but I know of one store that is struggling and another that is “temporarily” closed. Dave’s Skilltoys is gone.
Now one could say that forum activity is not an indication of general interest because not everyone interested in an activity chooses to go online. On the other hand, the major retail source of yoyos is the online stores. If there was an encroaching boom, they’d all be flourishing.