<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> 1<p> </p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1997.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>Recently, fidget spinners are the latest trend which has a global presence and everyone seems to have one on them whether it’s in class, on bus, in a café or even in an office. According to parenting expert Nikki Bush, “The fidget spinner has taken the world by storm and it is the one toy distracting children from screens and giving them a different brain-body play experience.” Instead of viewing it as a negative trend, people have been taking to fidget spinners positively overall. Some of the benefits related to these are:</p> Hand and eye coordination Muscle development Fine motor skill development Manual agility <p>However, what is that we really know about fidget spinners? They seem to have come out of nowhere and just take over the world in no time. Following are 10 fidget spinner related facts that you might not have known until now:</p> <h2>10. The brains behind the spinner</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1998.jpeg"/>taringa.net <p>Almost two decades ago, a chemical engineer from the Orlando, US decided to visit her sister in Israel. Once there, she heard about kids throwing rocks at each other as a pastime and also at the police. So, Catherine Hettinger was struck with this as an inspiration to come up with a way to keep these kids occupied, distracted and give them a way to relieve stress. On her return back home, she felt the need of a similar object for her own daughter who suffered from myasthenia gravis which causes weakness of muscles. So this genius chemist sat down and designed the first ever fidget spinner, the fad which would soon take over the world.</p> <p>The spinner she designed resembled a design which was a cross between a Frisbee and a UFO and manufactured it out of her laundry room with an old sign making machine she had purchased. She would sell these at fairs and carnivals.</p> <h2>9. But she’s not making any profits</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-1999.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>One would think that since these little toys are taking the world by storm, Catherine Hettinger must have made a fortune by now. Unfortunately that is not the case. Although she patented the fidget spinner in the 90s, she could not afford to pay the patent renewal fees of $400 in 2005. For some time, Hasbro showed an interest in the design but eventually the project withered and with it, the spinners. As Heather could no longer afford the patent fees, other businesses are not free to manufacture and sell the fidget spinners without any of the profits going to Heather. She, on the other hand, has no regrets and says while talking to Time, “Maybe if it was some kind of exploitative product — like a new style of cigarettes — and my only motivation was to make money, I’d have a different attitude… But I am just thrilled.”</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-45.gif"/>imgur <p>If Heather had been able to renew her patent, today she would have been making millions from, what Jackie Breyer, editorial director for The Toy Insider, says is the, “the biggest, fastest-moving trend that I have ever seen in the toy industry.”</p> <h2>8. Original purpose</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-2000.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>Originally, these were meant as a means of distraction for children from deconstructive habits, provide stress relief and for helping with concentrating focus. These were then picked up by other manufacturers, at a small scale, to comfort children dealing with anxiety issues, ADHA and autism. “It started as a way of promoting peace, and then I went on to find something that was very calming,” says Heather about her intention behind creating these spinners.</p> <h2>7. Modern day use</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-2001.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>After Forbes’s inclusion for fidget spinners to be “the must-have office toy for 2017” sales began to boom like never before. The intention behind the spinners to provide stress relief during ‘boxed in’ situations have appealed to a wide demographic of people from businessmen, office workers to teachers and students or anyone from any walk of life, really.</p> <h2>6. Experts weigh in</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-2002.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>One of the main selling point behind these toys are claims by many manufacturing companies branding these as a ‘miracle’ aid for dealing with ADHD, autism, PTSD, stress relief etc. However, experts have recently shot these claims down and declared that there is no medical proof behind these claims.</p> <p>“If their description says specifically that this can help for ADHD, they’re basically making false claims because these have not been evaluated in proper research,” says Scott Kollins, a clinical psychologist and professor at Duke University while talking to National Public Radio. His view is shared by Julie Schweitzer, director of the Attention, Impulsivity and Regulation program at the UC Davis MIND Institute who says, ““There are other ways of doing it than these toys… I can’t say that they for sure don’t work, but there’s no evidence to support that they do and it’s obvious they’re going to be distracting to other people.”</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-46.gif"/>giphy <p>While there is no researched and proven evidence, there are people who believe that these might be of somewhat help. “They may be beneficial to kids who have these deficits,” said Dr. Megahan Walls, a pediatric psychologist. “So for parents, if your child has a diagnosis of ADHD, if they’re a kid who seems to do better when they’re fidgeting and moving, then absolutely talk to the teacher, talk to the school.”</p> <h2>5. Schools’ take on the fidget spinners</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-2003.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>Educators and schools have not particularly taken to these spinners too well. According to a survey reported by CBS news, out of the 200 largest schools in the US around 32% of them had banned these spinners. Although they appear harmless, these toys have been found to be hurled between students and thrown back and forth between classes and hallways. These are small, made of different materials and can cause serious injury. Educators say these pose a serious distraction to teachers as well as other students when used during classes. “Because it’s a distraction, we are no longer allowing them in school,” said John McDonald, assistant principal at Delano Elementary School in Minnesota.</p> <h2>4. Spinner injuries</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-2004.jpeg"/>shutterstock <p>Schools and parents aren’t wrong when they show concern. Numerous spinners’ related injuries have been reported over time. As these are easily available anywhere without any warnings or age restrictions, children as young as 2 and 3 are able to play with these. CNN reported about a kid who was showing fidget spinner tricks to his friends and nearly lost his eye when he threw it, couldn’t catch it and it clipped at the corner of his eye. In another incident, a mom rushed her daughter to the ER because one of the spinner discs had dislodged and gotten stuck in her throat. Chargeable spinners have been known to have caught on fire. Parents need to lay ground rules for their kids using spinners and manufacturers also need to take necessary steps to avoid injuries from happening as much as possible.</p> <h2>3. Pricing</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-47.gif"/>giphy <p>Spinners come in all shapes, sizes, colors, designs and prices. They can be as cheap as $2 to the most expensive spinner in the world on sale being for a whopping £13,000. The price fluctuates due to quality as well as corresponding capability of the spinner. While usually, the three disc spinner comes to mind now there are different varieties. Some spinners even have Bluetooth and speakers incorporated along with LED lights. You can listen to your favorite music with the lights flashing and dancing as you spin. There are also several hundred YouTube videos, blogs and vlogs unboxing and reviewing different spinners produced by various manufacturers and their comparisons.</p> <h2>2. The science behind spinners</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/word-image-48.gif"/>giphy <p>Not enough credit has been given to the genius science behind fidget spinners. Rooted in physics, these spinners gain their characteristic features because of ball bearings. These ball bearings given the spinners their weight, friction-less almost fluid movement, the accompanying humming sound as well the balance one feels when tilting and moving them. If you are interested more about the physics involved, read it here.</p> <h2>1. Celebrity involvement</h2> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/10/c-users-zainab-afridi-downloads-26-10-2499-13-gif.gif"/>giphy <p>You know a fad has stuck and is legit when celebrities start to hop onto the bandwagon as well. It all started early in 2017, when it was reported that that Gwyneth Paltrow’s son was given a set of fidget spinners for his birthday. Since then, various celebs have taken to instagram showing off their spinners including names like Kendall Jenner, Liam Payne, Rita Ora and Millie Bobbie Brown. Kim Kardashian even has a gold $ shaped spinner available on her site. Her personal line of merchandise Kimoji has also made available the traditional snowflake shaped spinners with each of the discs bearing her face.</p> <i></i>