# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/61 "2017-05-22T14:36:22Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > 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. I’d seen this thread a couple weeks ago but wondered what the heck it was about. This morning at the 7-11 there was a bucket of them for sale next to the cash register. $2.97 each. Hooray for China. ---
**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 22, 2017, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/62 "2017-05-22T14:56:36Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I’d seen this thread a couple weeks ago but wondered what the heck it was about. > > This morning at the 7-11 there was a bucket of them for sale next to the cash register. $2.97 each. Hooray for China. Yeah, I was in a grocery store last week that had a ton of them for 2.99, but kept in the glass case where they normally keep very small but fairly expensive stuff (flash drives, for example.) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/63 "2017-05-22T15:00:27Z")
These showed up on my radar about six months ago because I have one of those 3D printers, and suddenly every third submission to the various “printable thing” sites was one of these fidget spinners. It does seem to be the yo-yo/Rubik’s cube/trapper keeper/slime of the current generation of schoolkids; I’m sure it’ll be replaced by something else in a few years. I’ve made a few for folks – the actual bearing wheel is a standard skateboard bearing and snaps in; it’s not printed. They’re actually fairly nice demos for the 3D printer because you can print one in an hour or so even on a slow deposition machine, and folks can take it home with them. It’s not super cost-efficient (the bearings are about .75 each, and it takes four of them plus maybe a .50 worth of filament), but then nothing 3D printed is today. As a printed device, they’re an interesting lesson in how poor even the average educated person is at mechanical engineering, particularly concepts like “tolerances.” My machine is properly calibrated, and yet it still took me 4-5 of these models before I found one that the bearing hole wasn’t _exactly_ the size of the bearing ring, hence requiring an hour of sanding or pounding the the bearing ring in with a hammer (which is always the suggested workaround in the comments section). A 2% increase in the hole size still lets the bearing rings snap in tightly, but they can be inserted by hand or gentle pressure – yet almost nobody actually designs them that way. ---
**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 22, 2017, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/64 "2017-05-22T15:03:49Z")
BTW, just go to your nearest Dollar Tree and buy one of those hand-held fans that run on the AA batteries. Buy a pinwheel. Buy a Wheel-O. Buy a gyroscope. Buy a top. Teach her to flick a quarter(. Don’t act like these fidget spinners are the first and only objects in the universe to fucking spin. (And the fad will burn itself out well before the end of the year.) ---
**Author:** ![Mavic\_Chen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mavic\_Chen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mavic_Chen)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/65 "2017-05-22T15:39:47Z")
The Slingshot Channel - Joerg Sprave decides to [Weaponize Fidget Spinners](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfGCI7yuMPc)… ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/66 "2017-05-22T17:08:33Z")
> [@TimeWinder](#): > > …It does seem to be the yo-yo/Rubik’s cube/trapper keeper/slime of the current generation of schoolkids; I’m sure it’ll be replaced by something else in a few **years**. > … Bolding mine. IMO you misspelled “weeks”. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/67 "2017-05-22T17:19:09Z")
The best use I’ve found for them is as a cat toy. My son got one and placed it on the floor spinning. Our three cats were soon surrounding it, staring intently at it as it spun. When it stopped they each took turns reaching out with a paw to give it a push and start it spinning again. It was actually quite cute and they were playing with it for most of an hour. My son, himself, lost interest in it in about 10 minutes. ---
**Author:** ![Chicken\_Fingers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Chicken\_Fingers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chicken_Fingers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/68 "2017-05-22T17:25:49Z")
My mildly-on-the-spectrum son would have loved one of these when he was younger. He used to spin his books and drive the teachers nuts. My anxious middle schooler likes the spinner and the fidget cube. The cat is not interested. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/69 "2017-05-22T17:49:03Z")
Oh, they’re _ **F** _idget spinners. Well jeez, where’s the fun in that? ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/70 "2017-05-22T17:49:31Z")
I was thinking of some for a couple of my coworkers. We’ve got Supreme Court Justice D-bag who bangs his wedding ring on his desk all day and especially when he’s trying to make one of his inane points, like it’s his gavel or something. Then we’ve got his li’l buddy, Nervous Nelson, who, when he isn’t cracking his knuckles (seriously?) he’s drumming his fingers. I’d like to find something for them to do that doesn’t cause me to want to break their fingers. ---
**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 22, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/71 "2017-05-22T18:32:22Z")
[Another use.](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=iN6df0twmJQ) ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/72 "2017-05-22T19:09:48Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Bolding mine. IMO you misspelled “weeks”. 🙂 I’m old; I can only tune into the current fads every so often. Beanie Babies are still all the rage, right? ---
**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 23, 2017, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/73 "2017-05-23T01:49:43Z")
I was informed this morning that they’re no longer cool at my daughter’s school. Some kid brought one in today expecting to be like all the cool kids but everyone just rolled their eyes. Poor kid. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/74 "2017-05-23T02:10:05Z")
I’ll amend my previous statement, as a few days ago I had a student who definitely was distracted by his fidget spinner. On the other hand, I’ve _never_ known that particular student to actually do any work, and the previous time I’d taught him (before the spinner craze), he was instead distracting himself by throwing scissors. So it’s probably still an improvement. ---
**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 23, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/75 "2017-05-23T02:46:21Z")
Well there you go–the next big fad item will be throwing scissors. (When I have was in middle school, I used to bring my throwing stars and throw them at trees at recess. But it was the simpler times of the great ninja fad of the 80s, when Asian martial arts weapons weren’t as frowned upon in school s as they are today. That, or the teachers just weren’t paying attention to what the hell was going on. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/76 "2017-05-23T03:26:11Z")
Meh. I’m old enough to remember the [clackers](https://www.amazon.com/Clackers-Colors-Vary-Quick-Clacks/dp/B017JM08N0/ref=sr_1_4?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1495509346&sr=1-4&keywords=clackers) fad of the early 1970s. Those suckers were LOUD, and could be dangerous if you let go of them or they shattered in mid-clack. I still remember the voice of my junior high principal on the PA system angrily declaring that clackers were BANNED BANNED BANNNNNED!!! from school. Fidget spinners seem quaintly benign by comparison. In fact, I just learned about them a few days ago and I sorta want one. ---
**Author:** ![Battle\_Pope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Battle\_Pope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Battle_Pope)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/77 "2017-05-23T04:13:14Z")
If you look around the web there are several designs to make spinners out of Lego\> I build one last night and compared it to my sons one. Pretty good approximation. ---
**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 23, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/78 "2017-05-23T04:39:28Z")
Hey, I still have a set of clackers from the 70s! ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/79 "2017-05-23T04:58:09Z")
> [@kaylasdad99](#): > > 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… Someone so needs to make a gif showing Queeg using a fidget spinner. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882/80 "2017-05-23T16:10:06Z")
> [@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) > [@constanze](#): > > 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) And the Greeks have [worry beads](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worry_beads). No prayers necessary. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-to-me-the-allure-of-fidget-spinners/785882.md?page=5)