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This Life is Yo Yo : Yeh Zindagi Hai Yo Yo

Ancient Greeks (a game), Egyptians (they drew it on their temples), Native Americans (why a weapon!), Chinese(they might have invented the crazy thing. It's a possibility. Or, they might have first cheaply mass produced it. That's also a possibility), Filipino (they are supposed to have come up with the name); these all people were yo-yoers. 

Where was the Indian yo-yoer? Was there ever a creature like an Indian yo-yoer - a short, dark man in turban strolling down a narrow dusty road, doing little tricks, having fun, swinging his yo-yo high and low. Well, according to some sources, he, or rather she, did exist. In 1765, a miniature hand-painted box was made having an image of a girl in red dress playing with her yo-yo.

And then came the modern times. The western ingenuity at creating wealth out of nothing, anything and everything, lead to the
Birth of the modern yo-yo

James L. Haven and Charles Hettrich (or Hettrick) received the first United States patent on "...an improved construction of the toy, commonly called a bandelore..." in 1866. However, the yo-yo would remain in relative anonymity until 1928 when a Filipino American named Pedro Flores opened the Yo-yo Manufacturing Company in Santa Barbara, California.[10] The business started with a dozen handmade toys; by November 1929, Flores was operating two additional factories in Los Angeles and Hollywood, which altogether employed 600 workers and produced 300,000 units daily.

The Duncan era

Shortly thereafter (ca. 1929), an entrepreneur named Donald Duncan recognized the potential of this new fad and purchased the Flores Yo-yo Corporation and all its assets, including the Flores name, which was transferred to the new company in 1932. Duncan's first yo-yo thereafter was the Duncan O-BOY. Duncan is reputed to have paid more than $250,000, a fortune by depression era standards. It turned out to be a sound investment, making many times this amount in the years to follow.

In 1946, the Duncan Toys Company opened a Yo-yo factory in Luck, Wisconsin, prompting the town to dub itself 'Yo-yo Capital of the World'.
- Wiki

And then in 1950, just when Yo-Yo Mania peaked in India (it must have), the true and the lost meaning of Yo-Yo dawned upon some Indians. With minimum philosophisizing and a catchy tune, they sought Yo-Yo as the newest metaphor for 'Life'.

A delightful little song called "Yeh Zindagi Hai Yo Yo" from year 1951 film 'Aaraam'.



Now you know how to do yo-yo tricks while doing Hula!

Pictured on the great 'character actor' Manmohan Krishna, that familiar face of Sahir Ludhianvi's classic song ''Tu Hindu Banega Na Musalman Banega" [video] from the film Dhool Ka Phool (1959).

In the film 'Aaraam', Manmohan Krishna played a conman sidekick of the hero Dev Anand. A conman playing with a Yo Yo. No novelty!

-0-

Singer: Manmohan Krishna, Music: (for he's a jolly good fellow) Anil Biswas, Lyrics: Rajendar Krishan

-0-

Credit: Video uploaded to youtube by Rajshri Films 
[The site offers more than 500 of their films, including lot of old Hindi classics, for free viewing.]
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