Scope and Contents

The Duncan Family Yo-Yo Collection consists of papers, photographs, advertising materials, scrapbooks, clippings and audio-visual materials. These materials trace the rise and fall of the companies owned by the Duncan family as well as the world of yo-yo's. The materials date from 1929 to 2002, with the bulk of the material focused on the Donald F. Duncan, Inc., and the companies that would become Playmaxx, Inc.

The collection is arranged in seven series. Series one contains business material pertaining to Donald F. Duncan, Inc., and its spin off companies. Series two contains material about Donald F. Duncan, Inc. It contains business records, correspondence, photographs, advertising materials, contest materials, information about demonstrators, and sales. Series three describes the creation of Duncraft, Inc. and how it changed names to Duracraft, Inc., finally becoming Playmaxx, Inc. The series contains material on the creation of a small business, photographs, advertising materials, instructional materials, patents and correspondence. Series four contains newspaper clippings arranged by dates. Series five contains information on the competitors of Donald F. Duncan, Inc, and Playmaxx, Inc. as well as information on the Flambeau Corporation who had bought out the Duncan name and was continuing to sell yo-yos. Series six contains information on yo-yos in general. It has materials including articles, magazines, books, music, information on the Smothers Brothers, and miscellaneous material. Series seven contains audio-visual materials including commercials, videos, audio tape and records.

Arrangement

Collection is divided into eight series.

Subseries 1, Minute books, 1930-1967

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1930-1985

Subseries 3, Organizational Materials, 1959, 1962

Subseries 4, Conference Reports, 1962-1963

Subseries 5, Financial materials, 1959-1965

Subseries 6, Employee and Personnel Materials, 1962-1964

Subseries 7, Sales Materials, 1958-1965

Subseries 8, Advertising & Promotional Materials, 1957, 1962-1965

Subseries 9, Production Materials, 1954-1980

Subseries 10, Instructional Materials, 1950-1963

Subseries 11, Scrapbooks, 1930s

Subseries 12, Photographs, 1957 and undated

Subseries 13, Other Companies, 1956-1967

Subseries 14, Empty Binders, undated

Subseries 1, Corporate Records, 1987-1995

Subseries 2, Correspondence, 1967-2000

Subseries 3, Advertising and Promotional materials, 1982-1990

Subseries 4, Financial Materials, 1990-1995

Subseries 5, Employee and Personnel materials, 1990-1995

Subseries 6, Sales Materials, 1981-1997

Subseries 7, Patents, 1974-1997

Subseries 8, Production Materials, 1980-1992

Subseries 9, Newsletters and Releases, 1978, 1997

Subseries 10, Programs, 1981-1997

Subseries 11, Duracraft, 1977-1986

Subseries 12, Competitors, 1976-1997

Subseries 13, Miscellaneous, 1997

Subseries 1, Newspaper clippings, 1929-1999

Subseries 2, Articles, 1952-1998

Subseries 3, Books, 1978-2000

Subseries 4, Instructional Materials, undated

Subseries 5, Magazine, 1958-2002

Subseries 6, Newsletters, 1988-1999

Subseries 7, Music, 1930-1964

Subseries 8, Competitors, 1958-1992

Subseries 9, Contests, 1997-2000

Subseries 10, Photographs, undated

Subseries 11, Miscellaneous, 1930-2002

Subseries 1, Toys, 1935-1991

Subseries 2, Photographs of Other Toys, undated

Subseries 3, Photographs of Tops, undated

Biographical / Historical

Donald F. Duncan (1892-1971), a businessman who had successfully marketed parking meters and ice cream, began to sell yo-yos after seeing them on a visit to California. Duncan founded Donald F. Duncan, Inc. in 1930, running it with the help of family members and soon got the word yo-yo trademarked. Duncan marketed the yo-yo successfully by using traveling demonstrators, many who were Filipinos, to hold contests around the country to increase demand. Duncan claimed the yo-yo was once a primitive hunting weapon in the Philippines and whose name meant "come-come". Duncan also used the slogan, "If it isn't a Duncan, it isn't a Yo-Yo."

As the company became more successful a plant in Luck, WI was constructed to be near the maple used to produce the yo-yos. The management division remained in Chicago, where it shared some of the same staff as the Duncan Parking Meter Company. The company also began to branch out, trying to create new toys and products, including a line of tops and selling plastic yo-yos. In the early 1960s the company, now run by Donald F. Duncan, Jr., began an aggressive and expensive marketing campaign using television ads, creating a huge demand for yo-yos that the Luck plant could not keep up with.

By 1965 Donald F. Duncan, Inc. was in financial trouble. The company was unable to keep up with demand for yo-yos, losing out to other brands. They lost an expensive legal battle Royal Tops over trademark infringement. The court ruled that the word yo-yo was the generic word for the toy. In 1965 the company's creditors wanted their money and the company filed for bankruptcy. The company was auctioned off in 1966, with the Flambeau Corporation, owners of the plastic yo-yo molds, buying the Duncan name and continuing to produce Duncan Yo-Yos.

In the early 1970s, Donald F. Duncan Jr. wanted to return to the yo-yo business. He created and received a patent for a plastic yo-yo that was balanced to maximize spin time, allowing tricks to be performed better and longer. Duncan created a series of companies, Duncraft, Inc., in 1976, Duracraft, Inc., in 1977, and finally Playmaxx, Inc., in 1987, to market his new yo-yo. These companies, based in Arizona, were primarily run by Duncan and his wife Donna. They focused on school demonstrations and other programs to sell yo-yo's. The yo¬yo, known as the ProYo, has removable sides allowing it to be display any type of logo. In addition to Playmaxx, the Duncan's also ran a yo-yo museum, the Yozeum. By the end of the 1990s, Playmaxx was no longer in business and the Duncan's moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma, where they operated the Yozeum.

Materials in the Archives Center, National Museum of American History

Bob Rule Papers, circa 1950-2002 (AC0855)