Bird in Hand, a gift shop in downtown Chico, is home to the U.S. National Yo-Yo Museum as well as the largest functioning wooden yo-yo in the world. Modeled after Tom Kuhn’s No-Jive Three-in-One, the gargantuan yo-yo earned its place in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1982 as the world’s biggest working wooden yo-yo. Not even the strongest of yo-yo-tossing humans could take on this four-foot tall, 256-pound toy; only a giant crane has been able to swing it into action. 

While the larger-than-life yo-yo is one of the shop’s main attractions, Bird in Hand has been fascinating yo-yo fans for decades—holding events, classes, and competitions. You can peruse countless yo-yo models, get schooled on ancient and contemporary yo-yo history, and, if you wish, purchase one of your own.