Les Diabolos

Diabolos evolved from the Chinese yo-yo, which was originally standardized in the 12th century. Chinese yo-yos have a long thin axle, with disc-shaped wheels, while the western diabolo is more cone-shaped. The diabolo also comes in different colors, sizes, and weights.

The term "diabolo" was not taken from the Italian word for "devil" — "diavolo" — but was coined by French engineer Gustave Phillippart, who developed the modern diabolo in the early twentieth century, and derived the name from the Greek dia bolo, roughly meaning 'across throw'.