Yo-Yo Comes Full Circle--Again : Trends: That on-again, off-again craze is on again, among adults and children alike. The toys range from $2 to $20 apiece.

When was the last time you tried to spin a yo-yo? In junior high school 30 years ago, when you twirled a rhinestone-studded Duncan Imperial? Or was it just last week that you “walked the dog” across the office floor?

The yo-yo--that on-again, off-again craze from the early ‘40s to mid-’60s--is back.

Grown-ups were spotted at the Preakness spinning blue yo-yos in their terrace box seats between bets. Kids “rock the cradle” while waiting for the bus to take them to school. And toy shops and manufacturers are cashing in on their re-emergence--Duncan, the giant of American yo-yo makers, reported sales in the millions last year.

Standing behind the counter at the Liquor Locker, 57-year-old Jerry Godfrey attempts a “forward pass” with a new orange and yellow yo-yo, which not only lights up but also plays “It’s a Small World After All.”

“I just got my ‘Duncan Yo-Yo & Spin Top Trick Book.’ I’m going for the easy (tricks) first,” said Godfrey, manager of the store.

Godfrey has added a colorful display of plastic yo-yos to his current inventory. During the past two weeks alone, he has sold more than 100 at $2 and $3 apiece.

Prices can go much higher, though, as Troy Williams and Joe Robinette will tell you. The two 11th-graders at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute bought their Yomegas from a Falls River, Mass., yo-yo manufacturer for $20 apiece. The plastic Yomega works better because it has ball bearings, they say.

“You know, in my neighborhood now, every mom-and-pop store is carrying yo-yos--(but) not the good ones like Troy and I have,” claims Joe, who lives in Remington.

Outside the school--no yo-yos are allowed in the hallowed halls--16-year-old Troy whips his plastic Yomega into a “sleeper.” (For all you yo-yo ignoramuses, that means throwing the yo-yo sharply downward so it spins continually.) His yo-yo continues to spin as he crosses the string at the top, forming a “T” for Troy.

“The basis for all yo-yo tricks is the length of the sleeper. The longer the sleeper, the more involved the trick,” said Joe, 17, who demonstrates the Trapeze with speed and dexterity.

Originally, yo-yos were tools, not toys. YoYo means “come back” in Taglog, the language of Filipinos. Hunters would perch in a tree, wait for their prey to come along and throw a rock attached to a thong made of plant or animal fibers. If the hunter missed on the first try, the rock was easily returned by a simple flick of the wrist.

Over time, yo-yos became a favorite toy for all ages. The materials used to create the yo-yo changed, with hardwoods and leather cords replacing rocks and fiber. Modern technology has created plastic and aluminum yo-yos.

The yo-yo’s comeback certainly evokes nostalgia. One former yo-yo fan recalls his moment of glory when he won a contest. The judge then carved a palm tree and sunset on his rhinestone-studded yo-yo. The fad’s new popularity also has sent many scrambling to find their old Duncans, hidden in shoe boxes along with 1950s baseball cards.

So how long will the yo-yo be around this time?

“This too is a fad,” Troy says.

Or maybe the expression “what goes around comes around” is not just a cliche after all. Maybe the person who first uttered those words had a yo-yo in his hand.