100 Fidget Spinner Designs

A fidget spinner is a type of stress-relieving toy. A basic fidget spinner consists of a bearing in the center of a design made from any of a variety of materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper and plastic. The toy has been advertised as helping people who have trouble focusing or fidgeting (such as those with ADHD, autism, or anxiety) by acting as a release mechanism for nervous energy or stress. Experts were divided on this claim, with some supporting it while others refuted its scientific basis and argued the toy may actually be more distracting.
Although they were invented in the 1990s, fidget spinners became a popular toy in 2017. Often marketed with health benefits, the toy began being used by school children, resulting in some schools banning the spinners, arguing that the toy became a distraction in classrooms. Other schools are allowing the toy to be used discreetly by children in order to help them concentrate.


More information on Fidget Spinners:

Design

Fidget spinners are often designed with the intent to relieve stress.Basic fidget spinners consist of a two or three pronged design with a bearing in its center circular pad. An individual holds the center pad while the toy spins.[3] Designs are made from various materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, copper, aluminum, and 3D printed plastic.The types of of bearings generally used are ceramic, metal (stainless steel or chrome), and hybrid designs. Additionally, bearings can be different to adjust for the design's spin time, vibration, and noise, leading to unique sensory feedback.


Origin

Catherine Hettinger, a chemical engineer by training, was initially credited by some news stories to have been the inventor of the fidget spinner, including by media outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times and the New York Post. Hettinger filed a patent application for a "spinning toy" in 1993. Hettinger told the New York Post that the idea for the toy came as she saw young boys throwing rocks at police officers in Israel. In response to seeing that, she wanted to develop a soothing toy that could help children release pent-up energy and "promote peace." However, she told The Guardian that the origins of the fidget spinner came when she was suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness. Unable to play with her daughter, she started "throwing things together with newspaper and tape" in an effort to entertain her. It soon gained moderate popularity as she began small-scale manufacturing from her home and sold her invention around art fairs in Florida.
Hettinger applied for her patent on May 28, 1993, then pitched her spinner device to toy manufacturers. However, Hasbro declined to pursue a deal after market-testing it. Hettinger let her spinning toy patent lapse in 2005; if it had been maintained, it would have expired in 2014.

A Fidget Spinner with 6 blades both stationary and spinning
A Bloomberg News article, however, disputes the claim that Hettinger is the original inventor of the fidget spinner, citing two patent lawyers who saw little resemblance between the fidget spinners which rose to popularity in 2017 and Hettinger's spinning toy, as described in the patent. Hettinger herself acknowledges there is no direct connection between her own spinning toy and fidget spinners in their current form and does not make any claims on being the inventor of the product, telling Bloomberg News: "Let's just say I'm claimed to be the inventor. You know, 'Wikipedia claims,' or something like that." It is unclear which patents, if any, cover fidget spinners, and their inventor is currently still unknown.