Fidget Spinner

Associated With

Multiple manufacturers; no single inventor established - creator or operator

Defining Feature

A hand-held centre bearing with weighted rotating lobes

Status

Consumer product: CPSC requirements depend on whether a spinner is classified as a general-use or children’s product.

Overview

Fidget spinners became extremely popular in 2017 as small toys rotating around a centre bearing.

Users held the centre while weighted outer sections spun around their fingers. Different manufacturers produced the toys in numerous shapes and configurations, including battery-powered versions.

Their popularity prompted specific US regulatory guidance. Requirements differed between general-use and children’s products, while small parts, magnets and button-cell or coin batteries could trigger additional safety requirements.

Why It Mattered

Their appeal came from an action that was immediate, portable and easy to repeat: hold the centre and keep the outer body spinning. The craze grew so quickly that US regulators issued specific guidance covering children’s versions, small parts and battery-powered models.

Spinner Design

• A central bearing allows the outer body to rotate while held.
• A 2017 US design patent records one ornamental fidget-spinner configuration.
• The patent names Weiwei Ren as the inventor of that design.

Product Classification

• CPSC separates requirements for general-use and children’s-product versions.
• Children’s-product versions are subject to toy-safety, testing and tracking-label requirements as applicable.

Safety Requirements

• CPSC issued guidance about small parts and battery-operated models.
• The guidance identifies magnets and button-cell or coin batteries as components that can trigger additional requirements.
• The agency’s 2017 annual report describes fidget spinners as extremely popular that year.

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