The Fidget Cube is a fidget toy designed by Matthew and Mark McLachlan, brothers and co-founders of the US design studio Antsy Labs. [1] It has fidget tools on all sides: a toggle switch, gears, a rolling ball (marble), a joystick, a spinning disk, a worry stone, and five buttons. It may help users with ADHD focus. It can also help kids with autism and anxiety calm down or focus. [2]
In a positive review, The Verge described the cube as, "basically a baby toy for adults". [3]
After its 2016 Kickstarter campaign, the Fidget Cube ranked tenth on the highest-funded crowdfunding projects. [4] [5] [6] [7]
In photography, bokeh is the aesthetic quality of the blur produced in out-of-focus parts of an image, caused by circles of confusion. Bokeh has also been defined as "the way the lens renders out-of-focus points of light". Differences in lens aberrations and aperture shape cause very different bokeh effects. Some lens designs blur the image in a way that is pleasing to the eye, while others produce distracting or unpleasant blurring. Photographers may deliberately use a shallow focus technique to create images with prominent out-of-focus regions, accentuating their lens's bokeh.
The National Toy Hall of Fame is a U.S. hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years. Criteria for induction include: icon status ; longevity ; discovery ; and innovation. Established in 1998 under the direction of Ed Sobey, it was originally housed at A. C. Gilbert's Discovery Village in Salem, Oregon, United States, but was moved to the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, in 2002 after it outgrew its original home.
A stress ball or hand exercise ball is a malleable toy, usually not more than 7 centimetres (2.8 in) in diameter. It is squeezed in the hand and manipulated by the fingers, ostensibly to relieve stress and muscle tension or to exercise the muscles of the hand.
Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris Michtom and his wife, Rose. During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States. Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy. The company is also known for selling the Rubik's Cube.
Mark McLachlan is a product and game designer. Mark has designed and released products under the scope of the product design and game publishing studio Antsy Labs. In collaboration with his brother, Matthew McLachlan, Mark invented the Fidget Cube, the second most-backed Kickstarter campaign in history.
Fidgeting is the act of moving about restlessly in a way that is not essential to ongoing tasks or events. Fidgeting may involve playing with one's fingers, hair, or personal objects. In this sense, it may be considered twiddling or fiddling. Fidgeting is commonly used as a label for unexplained or subconscious activities and postural movements that people perform while seated or standing idle.
Kickstarter is an American public benefit corporation based in Brooklyn, New York, that maintains a global crowdfunding platform focused on creativity. The company's stated mission is to "help bring creative projects to life". As of February 2023, Kickstarter has received US$7 billion in pledges from 21.7 million backers to fund 233,626 projects, such as films, music, stage shows, comics, journalism, video games, board games, technology, publishing, and food-related projects.
Polygon is an American entertainment website covering video games and popular culture by Vox Media. At its October 2012 launch as Vox Media's third property, Polygon sought to distinguish itself by focusing on the stories of the people behind games and long-form magazine-style feature articles.
Brandon Laatsch is an American game developer, filmmaker, and YouTuber known for directing Video Game High School, founding the game company Stress Level Zero, and other online video content.
The video game developer and publisher Nintendo has engaged in a variety of marketing campaigns, ranging from early efforts to appeal to teenagers with "Play It Loud!" to the more open-ended "Who Are You?" campaign. Nintendo also sometimes markets its various consoles and games with lavish promotions.
Video game development has typically been funded by large publishing companies or are alternatively paid for mostly by the developers themselves as independent titles. Other funding may come from government incentives or from private funding.
GoldieBlox is an American toy company that markets interactive toys designed for girls. GoldieBlox, which pairs a construction kit with a storybook, launched in 2012 as a prototype on Kickstarter. Its Kickstarter campaign led to more than $1 million in pre-orders placed in the first month. It went on to sell in retailers including Toys "R" Us and Amazon. None of the original construction kits or storybooks are still sold, with the company shifting its focus to crafting kits for girls.
Level-5 Comcept, formerly known as Comcept Inc., is a Japanese video game developer company based in Osaka, founded on December 1, 2010 by Keiji Inafune, formerly of Capcom.
Primo Toys is a London-based educational toy company founded by Filippo Yacob and Matteo Loglio, best known for creating the Cubetto Playset, an award-winning wooden robot that has been used by more than 10 million children to date, designed to teach children how to code using a tangible programming language that doesn't use screens or literacy. In April 2016, Cubetto became the most crowd-funded ed-tech invention in history, when 6,553 backers pledged a total of $1,596,457 to support their Kickstarter campaign. Primo Toys are backed by Randi Zuckerberg, Arduino co-founder Massimo Banzi, and Liam Casey's PCH International.
A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a ball bearing in the center of a multi-lobed flat structure made from metal or plastic with metal weights in the lobes, designed to spin around its central axis. Fidget spinners became very prevalent trending toys in 2017.
A squishy is a type of soft toy made of a specially formulated soft polyurethane foam, that slowly returns to its original shape after being squeezed. Squishies are manufactured into many different shapes and sizes, such as animals, fruits, and food items. They are often scented to match the object represented. The toy is also called kawaii squishy, kawaii meaning "cute" in Japanese.
Critical Role, an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play Dungeons & Dragons, has spawned many related products, including books, comics and an animated series, which are produced by Critical Role Productions. Various third-party, licensed works have also been released since Critical Role began in 2015.
A fidget toy or fidget is typically a small object used for pleasant but purposeless activity with the hands. Some users believe these toys help them tolerate anxiety, frustration, agitation, boredom, and excitement. They are also commonly used by those with sensory difficulties.