Fidget-spinning frenzy hits The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- From clicking pens to twiddling thumbs, the art of fidgeting has been around for decades.

However, a new plastic device has revolutionized the way we fidget.

Meet the fidget spinner: a small, one-handed ball-bearing device that can keep you entertained for hours.

The toy was originally advertised to help those who have trouble focusing (such as those with ADHD, autism, or anxiety) by acting as a release mechanism for nervous energy.

However, no one could have anticipated the fidget-spinner frenzy that has dominated the early months of summer.

Fidget spinners and their cousins, the fidget cube -- which feature a six-sided array of buttons, joysticks and switches -- have dominated sites like Amazon and eBay with more and more people buying into the fidget-toy fad.

Jen King, owner of Space Cadets Collection Collection in The Woodlands, knew she wanted to start selling fidget spinners at her comic and collectible store the moment she spun one.

“Most of the time, when the kids see we have them, they have to have one,” King said. “We keep them right by the checkout. Even though they all pretty much serve the same function, in the minds of the kids, they are like collectibles.”

The recent craze over fidget spinners is reminiscent of previous toy frenzies like hover boards and Silly Bands, those colorful animal-shaped rubber bands that covered the arms of every middle school student in 2015.

The variety of colors and designs of fidget spinners makes them collectable and tradeable, similar to baseball or Pokémon cards, King said.

In fact, King’s son, Alex, got one of his first fidget spinners by trading half of a breakfast burrito and a bag of powdered donuts to a classmate.

King’s business has capitalized on the recent craze, selling an assortment of fidget spinners and cubes to a predominately young audience.

Although fidget spinners have become a household name, King said she still recognizes the important calming effects they can have on people with anxiety or autism.

“They really were intended for that group of people,” King said. “I don’t think anyone knew that they would be calming to just about everybody. You don’t have to be on the spectrum to be calmed down by it.”