🎎 Vintage Japanese Tin Yo-Yo with Penguin & Pinwheel Design – Showa Era – Japan Antique Roadshow
This colorful tin yo-yo is a cheerful artifact from the mid-Showa period, likely dating from the 1960s or 70s. Its bold red, blue, and yellow pinwheel design is centered by a whimsical penguin graphic on both sides—an iconic detail that captures the joyful aesthetic of the era. Still wrapped with its original cotton string, the yo-yo appears unused, quietly preserved for decades.
Made of lightweight painted tin and sized for a child’s hand, this yo-yo shows some marks, surface scratches, and signs of age. There is a patch of adhered plastic or film at the center of one side, possibly a remnant from its original packaging or display. Despite the wear, the vibrant colors remain striking, and the piece radiates nostalgic charm.
📏 Approximate dimensions:
• Diameter: 5 cm
• Width: 2 cm
• Weight: 30 g
• Materials: Painted tin, original cotton string
• Era: Showa Period (c. 1960s–1970s)
• Condition: Good vintage condition with marks, scratches, and adhered plastic film at center
This yo-yo likely once sat untouched in a candy shop display case—one of many small treasures offered to passing schoolchildren with pocket change in hand. Today, it serves as a bright, tactile reminder of that vanished world.
Curated in Shizuoka City by Kurt Bell, this piece offers a tangible connection to childhood delight, local commerce, and the quiet charm of Showa-era Japan.
Quality Guarantee & Returns
- Quality is guaranteed. If there is a print error or visible quality issue, we'll replace or refund it.
- Because the products are made to order, we do not accept general returns or sizing-related returns.