L-R: Pedro Flores, possibly Donald F. Duncan Sr, Joe Radovan, circa 1931. Place unknown.
Just about everybody recognizes the name Duncan when it comes to yo-yos. But did you know the first man to own a yo-yo company in America was a Filipino immigrant by the name of Pedro Flores? In addition to launching one of the world's best-loved toys, he hired numerous Filipino American yo-yo demonstrators and played a central role in popularizing the toy as we know it.
His Flores Yo-Yo Corporation was bought out by Duncan in the early 1930s and he later joined forces with his friend and fellow Filipino American inventor-entrepreneur, Joe Radovan.
When both left Duncan and formed other companies, Flores' and Radovan's independence and daring set in motion a rivalry between themselves and Duncan that lasted for over 30 years and culminated in a legal battle that helped bring down one yo-yo manufacturer and nearly destroyed the other.
WORLD ON A STRING tells the story of the adventurous spirit of every inventor-entrepreneur and what happens when immigrants who pursue the American dream encounter competition and setbacks of every kind.