Anyone remember the Yoyo craze of the 1960s?

[Compo 10,328]

During the early/mid 60s it seemed like everyone in the universe had a yoyo and could do all the tricks - except me, I was hopeless at it!

[mudgie49 401]

Bet you were good with the 'hoola hoop' Compo

[katyjay 5,091]

All I could do was up and down with mine, but loved playing with it, and counting how many times it did this. Admired those that could do tricks.

[Compo 10,328]

I was useless with Klackers too!

[katyjay 5,091]

Don't remember them, but did have a diabalo [sp?] [or diabolical, as spell check suggested!]

[Compo 10,328]

Hmmm....I had one of those too- couldn't do that either

[Michael Booth 7,364]

I used to go to the Dale cinema when I was a kid and they used to have Yoyo competitions on the stage every Saturday morning.

[Pixie 162]

I remember when the craze came in the 90s! But i could never do tricks, i remember i had a right little collection of them, light up ones and all sorts! I also remember the craze of 'scoobies' and 'cats cradles'

[piggy and babs 544]

i never liked yoyo but was good at hula hoops round the waist i had one in them days legs arms neck . no wonder we were fit in them days the only time we played inside was if you were ill or if it was raining really bad the rest of the time we would be out on the street playing skipping or hide and seek ghost knocking. two ball ,football, till it was dark..

[Michael Booth 7,364]

Then, when it got dark, we had to be indoors before the ten o'clock horses came and got you....lol

[StephenFord 866]

Aha, Michael. My mother in law still talks about "the ten o' clock 'osses" - my two (now aged 28 and 23) never understood what they were - and still don't. Neither do I for that matter!

On a slightly different tack, several years ago she was talking to my son about what sort of job he wanted when he left school. Like most teenagers he hadn't made up his mind, and she suggested a few possibilities, which he gently kicked into the sand. At last she said, "Well, what DO you want to do? Wipin' sweat off wooden 'osses?" "Why?" he replied innocently, "Is the pay any good?"

[Pixie 162]

Speaking of 10oclock horses, When i was about 14/15, we used to walk the streets with friends, not causing trouble, but i still dont know why we found it as amusing as we did then. Anyways, my mum found out we used to sit on the 'wreck' in carlton when it was dark, so my mum decided to tell me about the headless horseman who used to go up the wreck with his horse, and because the wreck was next to the graveyard on cavendish road.. Cant remember me or my friends ever hanging around there once it got too dark! now im older, i can understand why she scared me into not hanging around an empty field when it was dark.

[Compo 10,328]

I remember the graveyard from the 1960s. I used to walk down that way at lunchtime when I was at the A&C C of FE up the top on Digby Avenue.

[mick2me 3,033]

Another toy was a gyroscope which used to come with a miniature Eifel Tower (or Blackpool tower?) to balance it on.

Can anyone remember the wheel on a magnetic spindle that ran up and down a handheld pair of metal bars?

Re the Bone Yard on Cavendish Road, some years ago a finger was found on the wall near to the road.

A top pathologist (Professor Stephen Jones) was consulted and it was examined to find it contained a small bone.

Prof Jones though it might be a human little finger, somewhat worrying to find it in a graveyard.

It was sent to a lab for further testing and was found to be the tip of a pigs tail.

[Compo 10,328]

I don't actually remember the wheel on a spindle but it does sound familiar. Are you sure it wasn't a gyroscope with two rods?

[mick2me 3,033]

no it was a double bent wire and the wheel rotated as a result of running along the wire, doubling back on itself the wheel was flat like a flywheel

[.... 23]

Then, when it got dark, we had to be indoors before the ten o'clock horses came and got you....lol

Aha, Michael. My mother in law still talks about "the ten o' clock 'osses" - my two (now aged 28 and 23) never understood what they were - and still don't. Neither do I for that matter!

There was a local (Bestwood) theory about the origin of the Ten o'clock horses but it seems to be a tale that travels a bit, as witnessed by comments left under this blog I wrote:

The Ten o'clock Horses

[banjo48 928]

Yes remember the yoyo craze, think everyone had one, strange but my twin grandaughters aged 9 have the 21st century version complete with flashing led lights as it goes up and down !

Also had the gyro thingy yes it ran up and own some wires or could stand on top of a small tower.

Had a diabalo too ! big plastic thing between two sticks with string in between.

Ana also my favourite a whip and top !

Quite a few of my old relly's are in Cavendish cemetary in the old part up on the right near the wall.

[plantfit 7,642]

I can remember the toy you are talking about Mick, seem to remember the wheel ran in between the two bits of wire on the wheel shafts, was the wire "L" shaped? I think centrifugal force or gyroscopic force held the wheel on the wire, with the wheel being driven by the shafts it would turn the wheel very fast causing the force to keep it on the wire, if you know what I mean. another one of those toys that kept us amused for hours but didn't really achieve anything

Rog

[mudgie49 401]

Am I right in recalling a game called 'snobs',played with 5 small wooden cubes in various colours,4 sides were ribbed and 2 sides were plain?

[katyjay 5,091]

Yes, snobs were very popular in the 50's, didn't they have an alternate name of jacks, or was that something else.

[briyeo 56]

I think they are more or less the same game but jacks didn't use cubes ( I think the snobs I remember were made from clay)

These are what are normally used for Jacks but I just read the original game used small bones found in the foot of a lamb, and the game was called knucklebones.

[mick2me 3,033]

Thanks Rog.

It must be pretty rare if no one else remembers them?

[Compo 10,328]

Just found this, 'Snobs' as I remember them....

[Compo 10,328]

Going back to the original post. I just found this and couldn't resist posting: