If It Isn’t a Flores, It Isn’t a Yo Yo – The Untold History

Pedro Flores was the original yo-yo man. Long before “If it isn’t a Duncan, it isn’t a yo-yo,” there was “If it isn’t a Flores, it isn’t a yo-yo,” and an entire nationwide craze built around his name. In this talk from the 2026 National Yo-Yo Championships, Doc Lucky Meisenheimer ( author of the book "Bandalorist Guide to Collecting Yo-Yo Patches and String Packs https://www.amazon.com/dp/0966761286 " walks through the true story of Flores and the origins of the modern yo-yo. You will see how a Filipino immigrant turned a simple toy into the “Xbox of the 1920s,” how he helped introduce the word “yo-yo” into American English, and how he created the first mass‑produced yo-yos, jeweled yo-yos, string packs, demonstrator teams, and contests. Highlights in this video include • The earliest known images of yo-yos from Persia, France, England, Germany, and the Netherlands • How bandalores and quizzes became yo-yos in the English language • Flores’s immigration story, his early jobs, and his entrepreneurial leap into hand carved yo- yos • The creation of the Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara and the first mass production run • The looped string, sleeping yo-yos, and the first contest tricks • Flores’s catch phrase “If it isn’t a Flores, it isn’t a yo-yo” that Duncan later echoed • How Duncan used Flores’s artwork and even sold “Flores” yo-yos before putting his own name on the boxes • The real details behind Duncan’s purchase of the Flores trademark and the later yo-yo trademark dispute • Flores’s role as the original traveling demonstrator and contest organizer • His work with Bandalor, Goody, Royal, and his mentoring of Linda Sengpiel, the “yo-yo queen” and Hall of Famer If you collect yo yos, play competitively, or just love toy history, this presentation gives you the answers people always ask • Who really started the first yo-yo craze • Who made the first sleeping yo-yo • Who turned yo-yos into a household name Doc Lucky also shares references from his book Doc Lucky’s Bandalorist Guide for Collecting Yo-Yo Patches and String Packs, including rare Flores string packs, carved yo-yos, and advertising art that most people have never seen. Watch to the end to see why, without Pedro Flores, we might all still be playing with simple bandalores going straight up and down on the string instead of the modern sleeping yo-yo we know today. If you enjoy deep yo-yo history, hit like, subscribe to the channel, and share this video with your fellow bandalorists. #yoyo #PedroFlores #YoYoHistory #Yo-yoHistory 00:00 Introduction 00:53 Ancient Yo-Yo Illustrations not Greek 01:36 1490 Persian Yo-Yo Illustration 02:07 Bandalores the English name for yo-yos 03:18 Bandalorist Guide to Collecting Yo-Yo Patches and String Packs 03:28 What is a Bandalorist? 03:43 When did the yo-yo name appear in the English language? 04:21 When did Pedro Flores arrive in America? 04:38 How old was Pedro Flores? 05:07 What did Flores do before Yo-Yo's? 05:44 Why Flores Started Making Yo-Yos 06:13 Flores' first Yo-Yos. 06:46 Flores' jeweled yo-yo. 07:04 1928 Flores Yo-Yo Manufacturing Company. 07:50 Flores trademarks the words Flores Yo-Yo. 08:05 Flores runs the first yo-yo contest, starting the first yo-yo craze. 09:18 Flores tries to patent the loop string which allows the yo-yo to sleep 09:43 Flores makes the first replacement string packs. 10:26 Flores makes prototype for the first metal whistling yo-yo. 10:55 Flores coins the slogan, "If it isn't a Flores, it isn't a yo-yo." 11:40 Duncan's first yo-yo: the O Boy Yo-Yo and its association with Flores Yo-Yos. 12:08 Flores Yo-Yo O-boy and Our Gang promo photo with the transition to Duncan 12:47 Flores starts yo-yo demonstrator teams and yo-yo carving 13:26 How Duncan obtained the Flores yo-yo trademark 14:39 How much did Duncan pay Pedro Flores for the Yo-Yo trademark? 15:12 1932 Duncan trademarked the individual word "yo-yo". 15:48 Flores and his brother in law Jerry Shunk becomes one of Duncan's earliest demonstrators and promoters. 16:25 Duncan makes Flores metal whistling yo-yo. 16:50 Flores starts the Bandalor Company. 17:37 Flores, after Duncan starts promoting Goody Yo-Yos and Royal. 18:32 Flores starts making yo-yos again as Flores Yo-Yos with Joe Radovan. 19:00 Linda Sengpiel the yo-yo queen becomes his demonstrator. 19:25 Summary of Pedro Flores' impact on the yo-yo history.