If you’re wondering what this year’s craze is going to be, we might already have the answer – the fidget spinner. Pokémon GO is no longer relevant, or at least it’s being steadily eclipsed by this new toy the kids (and some adults) can’t get enough of. If you’ve never heard of it, get ready for your head to spin.
Fidget spinners are small, with two or three prongs with circles in them, along with a circular pad in the middle where you can hold the device with your finger and thumb. Then, you spin it. For the past few months, they’ve been spinning their way into children’s hearts and hands across the world, and in Malaysia, there certainly is no shortage of interest among the kids – the toy is currently sweeping the nation, selling out like hot cakes.
It appears that they’ve been around for years but recently exploded in popularity thanks to innumerable videos littering YouTube and Instagram involving these spinners – from tricks-shots, stunts and even customisations. The video below showing fidget spinner magic tricks amassed over five millions views in less than two weeks.
Even the aesthetics of the spinners are widely celebrated as they come in various colours, designs and sizes. You can also personalise your spinner with different colour wheels, or even pick a few colours to go with emojis or your favourite characters.
As expected and much like its craze-causing predecessors, the fidget spinner has caused some uproar among parents and teachers. The fascination with the toy has become so palpable that kids are playing with the spinners day in and day out – including in the classroom. This has resulted in some schools across the world (like in the US and UK) banning them in class, claiming they are too distracting. However, fret not as our Ministry of Education has yet to take an official position on fidget spinners. So kids, our advice is – you can spin it everywhere but never at schools!