Fidget Spinner

Forgotten Trends · 2017

Published

In 2017, fidget spinners seemed to be everywhere. The small handheld toys used a centre bearing and weighted outer sections that could spin around the user’s fingers, with countless shapes and versions produced by different manufacturers.

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.

Object 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 record

- CPSC issued guidance about small parts and battery-operated models. - The guidance specifically 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.

Associated With

Multiple manufacturers; no single inventor established - creator or operator

Defining Feature

A hand-held centre bearing with weighted rotating lobes

Status

Historical event - Subject to general-use or children’s-product requirements according to its classification

Primary Records

- **FY 2017 Annual Report to the President and Congress** - **Fidget Spinner Business Guidance** - **US Design Patent D851,707 S: Fidget spinner**

Image Sources

- All one image sources are not yet verified — editorial review required.

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference. Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Child holding a spinning orange fidget spinner in front of an open hand while another child uses one in the background.
Source
Credit

Warwick Smith / Fairfax NZ

Licence

Historical Ephemera

Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.

Caption

Fidget spinners reached classrooms as well as playgrounds, illustrating how quickly a simple spinning toy became a subject of school rules and teaching experiments.