# Explain to me the allure of Fidget Spinners **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [May 4, 2017, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882 "2017-05-04T23:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/41 "2017-05-06T01:32:56Z")
On Monday morning, I confiscated a toy from a kid (I have a “no toys” rule when kids come to the carpet for lessons). After I gave it back to him at the end of the day, I saw another kid with an identical toy during dismissal. He’s the one who told me it was a fidget spinner, designed to help kids with ADHD focus. That afternoon, I found out my wife had ordered one for my nephew for his birthday. I’d never heard of them before Monday. They’re like locusts. Now that I know what they are, I’ve revised my rule slightly: if they’re distracting the user or the neighbors, it goes away for the rest of the day. So far, that rule seems to be working. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/42 "2017-05-06T02:26:23Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > Impressive, but, which finger? 😃 The longest one. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/43 "2017-05-06T02:57:58Z")
> [@Casey1505](#): > > Pet Rocks for Millennials. From what I recall, I don’t think you can [frob](https://books.google.com/books?id=g80P_4v4QbIC&pg=PA206&lpg=PA206&dq=to+frob&source=bl&ots=6ohqnsmoO3&sig=x6ajqpIKsZ-0rkYdCJM_NYrRgXI&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQuojoodrTAhWnllQKHa9GC_AQ6AEIVDAH#v=onepage&q=to%20frob&f=false) a Pet Rock. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/44 "2017-05-06T16:11:54Z")
Every traditional Arab man walks around all day with a set of prayer beads in his hand. Probably serving the same purpose, but with a guise of religious significance. They are made to have a certain heft, which is comforting. [![](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1LszwKpXXXXXEaXXXq6xXFXXXV/2016-new-Crystal-Material-8MM-Round-Shape-font-b-Beads-b-font-Prayer-font-b-Beads.jpg) ](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1LszwKpXXXXXEaXXXq6xXFXXXV/2016-new-Crystal-Material-8MM-Round-Shape-font-b-Beads-b-font-Prayer-font-b-Beads.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/45 "2017-05-06T16:38:32Z")
I work in a discount store. We started getting phone calls a month ago “Do you have fidget spinners”? Having never heard of them and not knowing what they were, it sounded to me like a horrible disease and I always said “No.” We finally got a 1,000 of them in a shipment, which I priced and put at the registers. They sold out in 3 days. Three Fucking Days for a 1,000 of them. We got another shipment of 1,000, and limited it to five per customer. We had several customers go ballistic, demand to speak to the manager, and a call from the head office about someone calling them about the policy. We were in hysterical, on-the-floor laughing over that. We sold the 1,000 in a day and a half, and are currently waiting for more. The person who invented those things should be shot. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/46 "2017-05-06T21:41:15Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > I work in a discount store. We started getting phone calls a month ago “Do you have fidget spinners”? Having never heard of them and not knowing what they were, it sounded to me like a horrible disease and I always said “No.” > > We finally got a 1,000 of them in a shipment, which I priced and put at the registers. They sold out in 3 days. Three Fucking Days for a 1,000 of them. > > We got another shipment of 1,000, and limited it to five per customer. We had several customers go ballistic, demand to speak to the manager, and a call from the head office about someone calling them about the policy. We were in hysterical, on-the-floor laughing over that. We sold the 1,000 in a day and a half, and are currently waiting for more. > > The person who invented those things should be shot. Well, you got two names in the links above for candidates for shooting. But, as it appears that neither of them are getting any royalties from these (as they watch the sales go through the roof), isn’t that punishment enough? ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/47 "2017-05-06T22:09:42Z")
They shouldn’t get any royalties. After all, there is [prior art](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZrFE5lL71I) for fidgets. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/48 "2017-05-06T22:55:31Z")
I used to fidget with a coin. Moving it between my fingers and passing it from hand to hand. It kept me occupied in class. The teachers rarely said anything about it. They’d call on me in class to confirm I was paying attention. Today’s spinners are too big and draw to much attention. IMHO You got to use something small. A cap off a pen, eraser, or coin. ---
**Author:** ![Aspidistra](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspidistra/32/3894_2.png) [@Aspidistra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspidistra)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2017, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/49 "2017-05-06T23:10:12Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve read pieces that claim that this is a case of people “stealing” something intended for autistic kids, but, according to the NPR piece (and maybe the Guardian poece, as well – I haven’t read it yet) the spinner was invented by a guy who just liked playing with things with his hands during meetings. This was friendlier than a switchblade. It was made popular by people seeing it on his internet site and wanting one. That it turns out to be a useful therapeutic device for autistic kids seems to be a useful side effect, not its original intent. I saw my first fidget spinner in my weekend class for ASD kids just yesterday. This is roughly commensurate with them sweeping the country _everywhere_ - so, yeah. Not really an Aspie thing. Or at least, only in the sense that Pokemon and Minecraft also are. It was really fun to play with BTW, and only 2 bucks, and now I want one. Yeah, it’s a fad, but so what? So were Rubik’s cubes, but I still enjoy fiddling with mine… ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/50 "2017-05-07T01:25:13Z")
One wonders how effective they would be at taking one’s mind off of the pressing question of who ate the last of the strawberries… ---
**Author:** ![Okrahoma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90db22/32.png) [@Okrahoma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Okrahoma)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/51 "2017-05-07T02:51:04Z")
Apparently fidget spinners [were created](http://forward.com/fast-forward/371118/fidget-spinners-were-created-to-stop-palestinians-from-attacking-israelis/) “to create an alternative activity for Palestinian boys to do instead of throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers”. Oh and since the patent has expired, no one is getting any royalties. ---
**Author:** ![Retzbu\_Tox](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/retzbu_tox/32/11829_2.png) [@Retzbu\_Tox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Retzbu_Tox)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/52 "2017-05-07T03:15:12Z")
I had never heard of them until this week. My wife often watches Ellen in the afternoon, (No, I don’t watch it myself. Really. It just happened to catch my attention for a minute. Stop looking at me like that.) and a kid she was interviewing gave one to her and was trying to show her how to play with it. I assume this will boost their popularity even further. ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/53 "2017-05-07T17:18:33Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > Every traditional Arab man walks around all day with a set of prayer beads in his hand. Probably serving the same purpose, but with a guise of religious significance. They are made to have a certain heft, which is comforting. > > [https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1LszwKpXXXXXEaXXXq6xXFXXXV/2016-new-Crystal-Material-8MM-Round-Shape-font-b-Beads-b-font-Prayer-font-b-Beads.jpg](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1LszwKpXXXXXEaXXXq6xXFXXXV/2016-new-Crystal-Material-8MM-Round-Shape-font-b-Beads-b-font-Prayer-font-b-Beads.jpg) Muslim (not only Arab) men have their prayer beads (33, for 99 names of Allah), but there are also Catholics (men and women) with the rosary [Prayer beads - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_beads#Christianity) and Buddhists [Prayer beads - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_beads#Buddhism) ---
**Author:** ![constanze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@constanze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/constanze)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/54 "2017-05-07T17:21:09Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Apparently fidget spinners [were created](http://forward.com/fast-forward/371118/fidget-spinners-were-created-to-stop-palestinians-from-attacking-israelis/) “to create an alternative activity for Palestinian boys to do instead of throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers”. > > Oh and since the patent has expired, no one is getting any royalties. Okay so one woman claims that was her inspiration, but there is no follow-up on how well the palestinian boys accepted the spinners as alternative. Hint: if you (that woman) think that boys throw stones because they are fidgety, you might be missing some context of that whole “Middle-East-ongoing-conflict” thing that has been mentioned in the press once or twice. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2017, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/55 "2017-05-07T19:19:35Z")
> [@Okrahoma](#): > > Apparently fidget spinners [were created](http://forward.com/fast-forward/371118/fidget-spinners-were-created-to-stop-palestinians-from-attacking-israelis/) “to create an alternative activity for Palestinian boys to do instead of throwing rocks at Israeli soldiers”. > > Oh and since the patent has expired, no one is getting any royalties. That’s the same woman who’s in the link from post #9. But, as I point out in post #20, the patent she filed doesn’t at all resemble the present Fidget Spinners. She invented a spinning toy, but it ain’t the same. The “torqbar” referred to in post #20 , on the other hand, looks a lot more like the current Fidget Spinner, only with two lobes instead of three, and appears a much closer match, as well as closer in time. That one looks like the real ancestor of the Fidget. Only he apparently isn’t getting royalties, either. He also wasn’t looking to find work for troubled (or autistic) hands – only idle ones. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c57346/32.png) [@Little\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Pig)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/56 "2017-05-20T22:27:45Z")
Today, [one of these](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MQIKV53) was delivered to my abode. I can definitely Grok it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [May 20, 2017, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/57 "2017-05-20T23:44:37Z")
I had never heard of them until I opened this thread. But I totally understand it. When I was a kid \* I always took apart broken tools and found things that I thought might have either a bearing or magnet in it. Then I played with them and put together various parts and formations, until I broke them, lost them, or modified them in a way that made them suck. Then unspoken goal I guess was to see how long something could be made to spin with a single impulse. \*Who am I kidding? I would do it tomorrow if I found an appropriate device to extract from. I have a fair amount of bought magnets and bearings bought for various thing that would work better, but for some reason it only counts for the game if it’s found or reclaimed stuff. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/58 "2017-05-21T02:33:05Z")
I saw them at the local gas station. Asked the guy, “What are those things?”. He replied, “Spinners”, which basically told me nothing. I thought “The Spinners” were a singing group. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/59 "2017-05-21T16:28:16Z")
My daughter was prescribed one by her OT to possibly help with her stimming (knuckle cracking and skin picking). I ordered one, but it was backordered. I ordered another, but a week later was told it was backordered. I went to the special needs store in town. They were out. I ended up pre-paying 20 bucks, but she finally got it two weeks ago and it’s really helping her BUT now three of five of her teachers have banned them from class. I could make a fuss since she does have a prescription for hers but she doesn’t want attention called to herself so she’s agreed to put it away. It kinda sucks because the skin around her nails was finally growing back. Oh well. Four more days and school will be out for summer. I just hate that what helps her became a cool toy. Let’s just hope the next cool craze isn’t “spinny seats” so wheelchairs don’t get banned too. ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2017, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/60 "2017-05-21T23:34:30Z")
I see them all over the schools I am in, I really don’t see what good they do, I don’t see it helping with focus, they are mostly a distraction. I guess they are good, though for kids that just need something to help with fidgeting. I’m a sub, so I just play it the way the classroom teacher does as far as whether I allow them or not. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882.md?page=4)