Duncan Toys Company Explained
Duncan Toys Company is an American toy manufacturer based in Middlefield, Ohio.[1] The company was founded in 1929 by Donald F. Duncan Sr. and purchased the Flores Yo-Yo Company from Pedro Flores, who brought the yo-yo to the United States from the Philippines.[2] [3] [4]
Duncan popularized the yo-yo through competitions; it was promoted in publications by William Randolph Hearst in exchange for a requirement that contestants had to sell subscriptions to Hearst newspapers as a condition of entry. In 1965, a federal court ruled that Duncan did not have exclusive rights to the word "yo-yo" because the word had become a part of common speech.[5] In 1968, Duncan Toys became a division of Flambeau.[6] [7]
In 1999, the Duncan yo-yo was inducted into the Strong National Museum of Play's National Toy Hall of Fame.[8]
In 2017, the makers of Rubik's Cube sued Duncan Toys Company over their "Quick Cube", alleging that the toy "mimics the features and overall appearance" of the Rubik's Cube puzzle.[9] [10] [11]
Notes and References
- Web site: Duncan Toys Company LinkedIn . 2024-05-16 . www.linkedin.com . en.
- Book: Scott, Sharon M. . Toys and American Culture: An Encyclopedia . January 1, 2010 . ABC-CLIO . 978-0-313-35111-2 . en.
- Web site: Museum of Yo-Yo History . May 5, 2022 . www.yoyomuseum.com.
- Book: Jack, Albert . They Laughed at Galileo: How the Great Inventors Proved Their Critics Wrong . 2015-05-07 . Little, Brown Book Group . 978-1-4721-1671-0 . en.
- Web site: Shontell . Alyson . 2010-09-17 . 15 Words You Had No Idea Used To Be Brand Names . 2022-11-02 . Business Insider . en-US.
- Web site: History . Flambeau . https://web.archive.org/web/20140413074322/http://www.flambeau.com:80/corpinfo/history.html . April 13, 2014 . en.
- News: Duncan Toys Rides New Yo-Yo Craze . May 5, 2022 . Orlando Sentinel . en.
- Web site: Duncan Yo-Yo . 2024-08-15 . The Strong National Museum of Play . en-US.
- Web site: Whitheouse . Kaja . 2017-08-29 . Rubik's Cube creator sues maker of knockoff toy . 2022-12-02 . en-US.
- News: Stempel . Jonathan . 2017-08-29 . Rubik's Cube maker sues Duncan Toys, Toys "R" Us over knock-off cube . en . Reuters . 2022-12-02.
- Web site: Rubik's Cube maker sues Duncan Toys, Toys "R" Us over knock-off cube . 2022-12-02 . CNBC . en.
