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Channel: Tech Safwan
Date: 2017-05-09

Fidget spinner 


Invented in the 1990s, fidget spinners became a popular toy in 2017, as fidget toys in general began experiencing mainstream popularity. 

DesignEdit

Fidget spinners are often designed with the intent to relieve stress.[1][2] Basic fidget spinners consist of a two or three pronged design with a bearing in its center circular pad.[2][3] An individual holds the center pad while the toy spins.[3]Designs are made from various materials including brass, stainless steel, titanium, cooper, aluminum, and 3D printed plastic.[1][2][4] 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.

BackgroundEdit

The origins of the spinner trace back to what its inventor, Catherine A. Hettinger, described as "one horrible summer" in 1993.[5][6] During the summer, Hettinger was suffering from myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that causes muscle weakness, making it difficult to care for her daughter. Hettinger recalled, "I couldn't pick up her toys or play with her much at all, so I started throwing things together with newspaper and tape then other stuff. It wasn't really even prototyping, it was some semblance of something, she'd start playing with it in a different way, I'd repurpose it." The spinner would go through several redesigns until a basic, non-mechanical version was created.[5]Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hettinger would exhibit and sell upgraded versions of the spinner at arts and craft fairs around Florida. She detailed that, "the project was great, I essentially broke even, I sold units and tested it with a couple of thousand people." Fidge Spinners were also originally design for kids with retardation.[5]

A plastic Bi-Spinner consisting of 2 blades.

Hettinger filed an application to patent her spinner on May 28, 1993,[7] before flying up to Washington, D.C. to secure her patent in 1997.[5][7] The toy manufacturing company Hasbro tested the design but decided not to proceed with production, and after not being able to afford the $400 renewal fee for her patent, Hettinger surrendered the patent in 2005.[5] Many manufacturers later began creating spinners in different shapes and designs.[5] Hettinger made no money from the sale of this product.[8]

Rise in popularityEdit

On December 23, 2016, James Plafke of Forbes published an article describing fidget spinners as the "must-have office toy for 2017."[4] In late March, users on social media websites such as YouTube and Reddit began uploading videos reviewing and performing tricks with fidget spinners.[6] The Boston Globe reported that fidget toys in general "entered the mainstream" with the related Fidget Cube toy also rising in popularity.[1] Several sellers on Etsy were reported to be creating and selling customized spinner designs.[1]

In spring 2017, the fidget spinner's popularity began to increase greatly; Money reported that Google searches for "fidget spinner" spiked in April.[9][10] By May 4, variations of the spinner occupied every spot on Amazon's top 20 best seller list for toys.[9] Many publications referred to the fidget spinner as a fad, with some journalists comparing it to water bottle flipping's rise in popularity from 2016.[11][12] The New York Post detailed, "so-called fidget spinners, low-tech, low-price stress relieving toys, are a huge fad sweeping the country, and stores can't keep them in stock."[11]

How to use fidget spinner 
Fidget spinner