The Secret Life of Yo-Yos

I sold high-end yo-yos to kids at my school growing up in Saudi Arabia. I would research the badass ones on the internet (only available from company office at the time, I'd go into my dad's), print out a Word-doc 'order form' to show kids at school (most were known names that kids had around already like Duncan and Yomega, but I'd find crazy ones w/ enough description to convince people to buy sight unseen), collect money with my profit already in it, then take orders and have them delivered to my house in the states. We'd pick them up on yearly re-pat. I usually had the money spent before they were even delivered, because I'm a goober.

Those, tech decks and magic cards. My first entrepreneurial endeavors.

When I was in elementary school there was a huge resurgence in popularity, leading to waiting lists for popular Duncan models that stretched into a month or more. I saved up every penny I had and eventually got a Turbo Bumblebee, which was one of my most prized possessions for way longer than I'd like to admit.

I found it in a box last time I was visiting my parents. I ended up changing the "brake pads" and oiling the bearings and played with it for hours. Can confirm, as an adult, Yo Yos are still a really pure, inexplicable kind of fun.

>In the end, I had to unpack and demonstrate each of the yo-yos in turn, much to the amusement (and eventual applause) of the security team.

So, quite literally, security theater.

I've heard of being made to do a lot of unsavory things by the TSA, but this is the first I've heard of being forced to perform party tricks for them.

For a clear demonstration of the offensive use of a yoyo, I direct you to The Substitute 2 http://rutube.ru/video/bc0c854a249afe8f1cce248d0ab55444/ (sadly in russian)

I had the fortune of getting wrapped up in the Chico yoyo scene of the late 90's. It was amazing to see the transformation around that time. There were only one or two metal, ball berring yoyos on the market at the time. Got to help teach kids and was enlisted by Prima (game guide publisher) to do a book on yoyo play too. Good times...