I have noticed that a lot of the “older” yoyos from the earlier 2000’s are relatively smaller in diameter than that of today’s yoyos. Was this just how the market was?
Pretty much, as I remember it. What you’d consider undersized enjoyed a period of popularity, even beyond the early 2000s
I believe many were like the Clyw gorge: near 60 milimeter diameter, and a narrow width. Looping yoyos are about the same diameter, so it made since as the first butterfly type yoyos were looping yoyos with the halfs reversed. The team losi cherry bomb for example has a diameter considered oversized now, but a width considered narrow for a string trick yoyo.
No, yoyos have varied in size from larger to smaller in recorded history.
Legacy:
G&E 4 (lily) 58.75 mm
Anti-yo eetsit 52.24 mm
YYJ hitman 53.98 mm
Anti-yo fluchs 55 mm
DM II 56.13 mm
Duncan metal zero FH 58.23 mm
Dif-E-Yo Bone Chip 52.32 mm
HSPIN Gorylla 52 mm
YoYoJam Axiom 50.54 mm
YYJ atmosphere 51 mm
Newer:
One Drop prescription 53.6 mm
One Drop benchmark H 56.70 mm
One Drop code 2 56 mm
G squared hawk 54.00 mm
Many yoyos were believed to be made out of atoms as well ;D
Smaller yoyos were definitely more common 1-2 decades ago. Even looking maybe 5 years back, 49mm was considered undersized and 54mm full sized, nowadays undersized is more like 52mm-54mm, and you pretty much don’t see any yoyos that are designed to perform smaller than that and full sized being 56mm+.
I was curious about this so I went to a online yoyo site that lets you pick different shopping options. I went to diameter range and there are substantially more yoyos in the 55mm to 59mm diameter range for sale there than anything else. Larger competition based throws have definatley become more popular over the last 10 years. You don’t see a whole lot with a diameter much less than 56mm anymore. 10-15 years ago I would say 54mm was the average. I’m sure this is due to todays modern play styles. I love the 52-54 range organic shape. But many new yoyos like that get released anymore.
can’t add much to the answer already posted about ‘older yo-yos’, but i can say that it has been my
experience that lots of us older yo-yo’ers used to be smaller… normally , and some of us normally smaller.
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Since I’ve been throw’in for many years…thought I’d add my 2 cents!
I think the larger sizes came into play as the tricks became more complex and longer(more spin time as necessary to finish longer tricks! Plain and simple guys!
Older yo-yo’s were definitely smaller; in general. There is one, however, at the Yo-yo Museum in Chico that is pretty big 
Much can attributed to materials. As wood gets larger in diameter, the qualities that made it attractive diminish. Large wood yo-yo’s are a rock on the string and break easily.
Metal yo-yo’s also, tended to be smaller. This also was a historic and materials issue. As I remember, 54mm was the largest stock that certain CNC machines could work with.