Cityvisitor blog

Fidget fad enjoys world domination

No doubt you have heard about the fidget spinner by now…

It’s the latest craze to hit the playground (and classrooms) and has certainly got heads in a spin.

This rather simple looking toy has somehow managed world domination and in some ways, it’s hard to work out why.

Its use is just as simple as its appearance – you simply hold it in your hand and spin it round. Whilst this sounds fairly dull, it is surprisingly satisfying and quite therapeutic to fiddle with.

In this age of computer games and other technology, it’s pretty amazing to think this is the item every child wants at the moment. There were reports of families queueing up outside the toy shop in my local town at the weekend in an aim to get their hands on one.

Teachers, however, are not so keen and many schools have banned the fidget spinners from the classroom because they are causing too much of a distraction.

The device was originally designed to help children with concentration issues such as ADHD – giving them something to fiddle with so that they would find it easier to sit still.

Crazes like this are not uncommon, but it is hard to work out how they catch on so quickly. Remember the loom bands? And of course the Rubik’s Cube (which seems to have made a recent comeback). The ‘90s had Pogs and Trolls, while the ‘80s enjoyed snap bracelets, football stickers and Top Trumps.

There’s actually quite a sad story behind the fidget spinner – its inventor (a mum in America) has not made a penny from her idea after being unable to afford to pay the patent rights.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/03/fidget-spinner-inventor-patent-catherine-hettinger

 

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