Today was our last day in Georgia
But our new friend/hero Bob Rule came out to our final Georgia demo to spend some time with us and learn some new tricks before our departure. And so did Doug Grice! Seth taught them both Boingy Boing! Bob’s daughter also came out to the demo along with his grandson who was excited to learn some new tricks from his grandad. Before we knew it we had everyone wanting to learn!

Soon after putting a yo-yo in their hands, Lindsay and sister Shelby had mastered the basics as well! Nothing is more exciting than teaching someone how to yo-yo and seeing the look on their face when they first land a trick. Its priceless.

After our demo we spent our last hour in Georgia with Bob to record the commentary for a special video to be released tommorow. Keep an eye out for that! Its something that every yo-yoer should take the time to watch.

During our drive from Marietta Georgia to Richmond Virginia, Seth and I decided to stop and eat in North Carolina. And who better to take a break with than Ed Haponik? Thanks for coming out Ed!

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Today we had the opportunity to spend some time with Bob Rule at his place before heading to our demo at Learning Express in Woodstock. Bob has one amazing collection with stories to match each and every yo-yo. It’s easy to lose track of time and spend hours talking with him and looking over his relics of yesteryear that yoyoing has brought to him.

Bob decided to join us for our demo later that day, which was a blast. Several local yo-yo players showed up to hang out with us as well. Having Doug Grice, Jim Panky, and Bob Rule by your side is a guarantee to have a good time.  The crowd gathered, and they loved us.

It was truly a great day in Georgia.  After a quick photo op with local guys and the van, we headed to a great dinner. Boy, I sure am going to miss Atlanta!

Momentum carries us through this thing and sometimes, we have no idea that it’s on our side. We got up for our second and final day in Houston super pumped from the previous day’s events. Sometimes, lightning strikes twice.

We got out of the hotel and ran off to pick up Marie again and then off to the gulf to show the mid-westerners the ocean. We did some interesting stuff with playground equipment(more on that later), Hank did a backflip from a swing and Marie took pictures of the Atlantic for the folks back home. It’s just so cool to have extended family around. A little bit of a woman’s presence in the van keeps things a little more civil as well. Besides, she is a really cool girl and we had an enlightening conversation about world events and history on the way to lunch and then to the gig. It’s not every day that we get that out of life.



We went on over to our next demo and it was instantly cool. We had been warned that The ladies at the Learning Express in Cypress TX had spirit in spades. The warnings were well deserved. I cannot begin to tell you the energy level that runs through that store. Enthusiasm, heart and excitement are easy to come by. We were welcomed by a reporter from the Houston Chronicle who interviewed us for an upcoming feature and one amped staff. They were soon joined by an equally rambunctious audience of kids and the demo was on fire. The store quickly sold out of their fanciest Duncan yo-yos and had to restock a few times to keep up. The excitement only set up the mood for bigger things and bigger things came for sure!

Now, not only does the Houston, TX area have one up and coming club, it has two. We discussed with the owners of the Cypress, TX Learning Express and the Cypress Yo-Yo Club was born. The ladies that run that shop have SERIOUS spirit and hopefully they will keep the home fires burning for yo-yos for years to come. So, yo-yo players, stop by this shop any time you can. They are all up for supporting the scene and they could easily become a destination for players from all around. DuncanCrew.org club finder is your friend.

Knowing that you’ve set some hearts ablaze with a love for Duncan and Yo-yos is the best send off a city could ever provide. We can’t thank the Houston area enough. Thank you thank you thank you.

VIVA AUSTIN! Every place on the planet earth should be this cool(to be fair, some of them are). We started out our first full day here with a morning show appearance on KTBC channel 7. Of course, being on TV is always pretty cool but, this one had a little extra cool to it. When we got there, the first thing that hit me was that they have a really interesting green room. The entire room was set up with Japanese horror movie posters and post cards. I super love Japanese horror films and so, it was more like what I want my bedroom to look like than being in a green room for a TV studio. As for on air, the post shows all the details. Definitely check it out. Joe and Katherine were awesome.

After that, me and the boys went over to Toy Joy and it is everything I imagine a toy store is as an adult child. This is a must see place here in Austin. The outside of the store alone, is a sight to behold. The place is covered in really cool paint and murals and has a stock of some of the quirkiest import toys from around the world. They also have a fantastic staff and a sull service vegan ice cream and soda shop. So hip it hurts and it hurts SO GOOD! Some great kids and adults alike, came out to see the demo and learn a few tricks. On top of all of that Seth fell in love and I got a new best friend. Unfortunately, we had to hustle on out of there to the next demo. I would have liked to spend more time with the staff and store. I intend to make it out there again just to hang out.


Then it was off to a suburb of Austin with perhaps the coolest name I have ever heard: Bee Cave, Texas. The name alone makes me want to move there. It sounds so fancy and dangerous. Holy cow! I had no idea that there were this many kids around that are committed to the idea of learning to play yoyo. The demo was super crowded and we had so many players that wanted to learn that we were short a few yoyos. A big thanks goes out to everyone that had the patience to share and learn together. This is definitely what the spirit of yoyo play is all about and what we want to see in a community. What a successful demo and what an inspiring crowd of young kids. So much fun to be had. It really was over too soon. Thanks goes to Mike and Lisa Schlageter.

Hey everyone!
Brandon here reporting from the highways of California as we head to our next stop in Temecula. I joined the guys on tour about 3 days ago and boy its been a blast. Having the opportunity to travel and teach kids and grownups alike how to yo-yo and spread the hobby I love is priceless to me. So to be a part of this tour is an honor. The guys I get to be on this tour with aren’t only my friends, they are my heroes as well.

I’ll be posting more and more as we travel, filling you in on all the fun stuff that Duncan’s 80th Anniversary tour brings our way. So now that Ive made my introduction, I’d like to show you some fun photos of my first 3 days on tour with Seth, Paul, Emil, and Glasseye.

Below you’ll find a collection of photos from the tour stops at Puzzle Zoo in Costa Mesa CA, Totally Thomas Toy Depot in San Diego, Toys Etc in La Jolla, and Learning Express in N. San Diego.