#Classic Toys

2 items

Video thumbnail — 1994 - Duncan Toys Video Boy 30 Sec Yo-Yo Commercial
Toys 1929–present

Duncan Yo-Yos

The brand that made the yo-yo an American institution — and then nearly lost it all in court. In 1963 alone, Duncan sold a reported 33 million units, but a legal fight over the word 'yo-yo' sent the company into bankruptcy. The brand recovered, and by the 1990s, every kid's entry yo-yo was still a Duncan Butterfly or Imperial.

Video thumbnail — Etch A Sketch Commercial 1993
Toys 1960–present

Etch A Sketch

The red-framed gray screen with two white knobs — left for horizontal, right for vertical, and no mercy for anyone attempting a curve. Every road trip had one, every masterpiece died in a single shake, and no 90s kid ever quite mastered the diagonal.