Type | Stress-relieving toy |
---|---|
Inventor(s) | Scott McCoskery |
Country | USA |
Availability | 2014–present |
Materials | Brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper, plastic, etc. |
A fidget spinner is a toy that consists of a ball bearing in the center of a multi-lobed (typically three-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.
The toy has been promoted as helping people who have trouble focusing or those who may need to fidget to relieve nervous energy, anxiety, or psychological stress. There are claims that a fidget spinner can help calm down people who have neuro-developmental or mental disorders, such as ADHD and autism, [1] though peer-reviewed studies for this notion are lacking. [2] [3] [4]
A fidget spinner consists of a round, flat central bearing (usually a ball bearing) that allows the arms connected to it to rotate; around this central axis, there are usually three weighted arms, but their number varies depending on the model. When spun forcefully, they can continue spinning for up to several minutes, depending on the model. [5]
In an interview appearing on May 4, 2017, on NPR, Scott McCoskery described how he created a metal spinning device called a "Torqbar" [6] [7] around 2014 to satisfy with his own tendency to fidget in meetings and on conference calls while working in the information technology field in the Seattle, Washington, area of the United States. [8] He said he believed it was the first fidget spinner as they became known in their popular form. [6] In response to requests from an online community, he began selling the device online. [8]
With the rapid increase in the popularity of fidget spinners in 2017, many children and teenagers began using them in school, and some schools also reported that students were trading and selling the spinner toys. [9] [10] [11]
As a result of their frequent use by children at school, many school districts in the U.S. prohibited the toy. [12] [13] Some teachers argued that the spinners distracted students from their schoolwork. [9] According to a survey conducted by Alexi Roy and published in May 2017, 32% of the largest 200 American public and private high schools had banned spinners on campus. [14]
When fidget spinners rose in popularity in 2017, many publications in the popular press discussed the marketing claims made about them for people with ADHD, autism, or anxiety. [4] [12] [13] However, there has not been research proving this notion. [3] [4] [15] They quickly fell in popularity and sales after peaking in May 2017. [16]
On May 11, 2016, Michael Scott McCoskery filed a provisional patent application for a utility patent on a version of the toy featuring a centrally mounted ball bearing and other specific design elements. His application included illustrations depicting two- and three-lobed versions of the toy. Following the submission of a final patent application in May 2017, McCoskery was granted a U.S. patent in March 2018. [17] [18]
On November 29, 2016, David Allen Pavelsky of Killeen, Texas, applied for a design patent covering a three-lobed version of the toy with a centrally mounted ball bearing. Unlike McCoskery's patent, Pavelsky's application did not claim functional innovation, but rather focused on the toy's aesthetic design. He was granted a design patent in October 2017. [19]
By May 2017, the patent for fidget spinners had not yet been granted, despite growing market demand. [20] Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer, was incorrectly credited by some media outlets as the inventor of the fidget spinner, with reports from publications such as Money , [21] The Guardian , [12] The New York Times , [13] and the New York Post . [22]
Hettinger had filed a patent application for a "spinning toy" in May 1993. Her invention more closely resembled some sort of "finger frisbee" or a "finger hat". The patent was issued to her in January 1997. [23] However, she allowed the patent to lapse in 2005 after failing to find a commercial partner to manufacture the toy. [20] [12] Even if her patent had not lapsed, it would have expired in January 2014, prior to the rise in popularity of fidget spinners. [23] Additionally, a May 2017 Bloomberg News article clarified that Hettinger had not invented the modern fidget spinner, as her design lacked the central bearing that allows the toy to be held and spun in place—an essential feature of today’s spinners. [20]
A flywheel is a mechanical device that uses the conservation of angular momentum to store rotational energy, a form of kinetic energy proportional to the product of its moment of inertia and the square of its rotational speed. In particular, assuming the flywheel's moment of inertia is constant then the stored (rotational) energy is directly associated with the square of its rotational speed.
Twister is a game of physical skill produced by Milton Bradley Company and Winning Moves Games USA. It is played on a large plastic mat that is spread on the floor or ground. The mat has four rows of six large colored circles on it with a different color in each row: red, yellow, green and blue. A spinner tells players where they have to place their hand or foot. The game promotes itself as "the game that ties you up in knots".
A yo-yo is a toy consisting of an axle connected to two disks, and a string looped around the axle, similar to a spool. It is an ancient toy with proof of existence since 440 BC. The yo-yo was also called a bandalore in the 17th century.
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.
The diabolo is a juggling or circus prop consisting of an axle and two cups or discs derived from the Chinese yo-yo. This object is spun using a string attached to two hand sticks. A large variety of tricks is possible with the diabolo, including tosses, and various types of interaction with the sticks, string, and various parts of the user's body. Multiple diabolos can be spun on a single string.
A spinning top, or simply a top, is a toy with a squat body and a sharp point at the bottom, designed to be spun on its vertical axis, balancing on the tip due to the gyroscopic effect.
Pet Rock is a collectible toy made in 1975 by advertising executive Gary Dahl. They were rocks packaged in custom cardboard boxes complete with ventilation holes and straw bedding imitating a pet carrier. The fad lasted about six months, ending after a short increase in sales during the Christmas season of December 1975. Although by February 1976 they were discounted due to lower sales, Dahl sold over one million Pet Rocks for $4 each, and became a millionaire.
A claw machine is a type of arcade game. Modern claw machines are upright cabinets with glass boxes that are lit from the inside and have a joystick-controlled claw at the top, which is coin-operated and positioned over a pile of prizes, dropped into the pile, and picked up to unload the prize or lack thereof into a chute. They typically contain stuffed toys or other cheap prizes, and sometimes contain more expensive items like electronic devices and fashion accessories. Claw machines are also known as skill cranes, claw cranes, crane games, teddy pickers, and are known as UFO catchers in Japan due to the claws' resemblance to UFOs.
Skip-It is a children's toy introduced in 1960s, the most popular variants of which were manufactured by Tiger Electronics in the 1980s and 1990s. The Skip-It apparatus was designed to be affixed to the child's ankle via a small plastic hoop and spun around in a 360 degree rotation while continuously skipped by the user.
The spinner on automobile wheels historically refers to knock-off hub nuts or center caps. They may be the actual, or intended to simulate, the design used on antique vehicles or vintage sports cars. A "spinner wheel" in contemporary usage is a type of hubcap or inner wheel ornament, that spins independently inside of a wheel itself when the vehicle is in motion and continues to spin once the vehicle has come to a stop.
Self-stimulatory behavior, also known as "stimming" and self-stimulation, is the repetition of physical movements, sounds, words, moving objects, or other behaviors. Such behaviors are found to some degree in all people, especially those with developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. People diagnosed with sensory processing disorder are also known to potentially exhibit stimming behaviors.
Spinning is an ancient textile art in which plant, animal or synthetic fibres are drawn out and twisted together to form yarn. For thousands of years, fibre was spun by hand using simple tools, the spindle and distaff. After the introduction of the spinning wheel in the 13th century, the output of individual spinners increased dramatically. Mass production later arose in the 18th century with the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution. Hand-spinning remains a popular handicraft.
An office toy is a novelty item typically placed on the desk of a corporate executive or other office worker. They have no work-related function, but are often intended to provide decoration or pleasure, relieve stress or inspire creativity. The Newton's cradle is a classic example of an office toy.
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.
A salad spinner, also known as a salad tosser, is a kitchen tool used to wash and remove excess water from salad greens. It uses centrifugal force to separate the water from the leaves, enabling salad dressing to stick to the leaves without dilution.
The Fidget Cube is a fidget toy designed by Matthew and Mark McLachlan, brothers and co-founders of the US design studio Antsy Labs. 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 children with autism and anxiety calm down or focus.
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.
The floss is a popular dance in which a person repeatedly swings their arms, with clenched fists, from the back of their body to the front, on each side.
A Pop-It is a fidget toy consisting of a usually-brightly colored silicone tray with poppable bubbles, similar to bubble wrap, that can be flipped and re-used. They come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes, and even come in wearable formats. It is marketed as a stress-reliever and rose in popularity in the spring of 2021 due to TikTok influencers as well as boredom and stress attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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.