FAQ - What is a fidget?

Designed to help people with Autism, ADD and anxiety, fidget toys give something for busy hands to do. They feature mini activities that passively engage the hands while still allowing conscious attention to be directed elsewhere. Fidget toys include both fidget spinners and fidget or fiddle cubes that have multiple fidgeting surfaces.

Fidget spinners have a simplistic design while still packing lots of impact. A set of arms radiates from a middle point that contains a ball bearing. The arms rotate around the ball bearing when a push or flick starts the momentum. The low-friction parts provide spinning times of three minutes or more with each push. This fidget definition covers the most well-known type of fidgeting toy.

Fidget cubes are a more versatile type of toy and newer than spinners. Cubes have a die-like appearance, with six sides, though they are slightly larger in size. Each side of the cube has different activities to manipulate with your fingers, with standard features such as buttons, rollers, grooves and knobs.

Trends are hard to predict. The fidget toy craze is entirely organic, with no major company introducing or marketing these little bits of genius. Most of the popularity happened via public schools, where one kid had a fidget toy, possibly as a therapeutic aid, and the other children quickly realized how much fun they were. Their enthralling nature soon brought spinners to the attention of older siblings and even parents. They are not only toys but also used as focusing aids and tools for reducing anxiety.