The History of Fidget Toys

While they may seem to be wholly modern, fidget toys actually have ancient origins and humans have long self-regulated using various objects. During the Ming Dynasty in China, Baoding balls were created to soothe the user and put them in a more meditative state. The ancient Greeks developed kompoloi (worry beads). While they were originally used by the monks of Mount Athos, these strings of beads still exist today and are used primarily for soothing (in contrast to similar but religiously significant Catholic Rosary beads, Muslim misbahas, or Hindu mala). Worry stones also have a long history of soothing humans and have been used everywhere from North America to Tibet for centuries. Modern soothing objects include stress balls, which rose to popularity in the late 20th century and are still heavily associated with office culture, as they are designed to provide stress relief without the need to leave one’s desk. (Interestingly, stress balls show clear parallels to ancient Baoding balls.) In the late 2010s, a new crop of fidget toys hit the market and using them soon exploded into a trend, particularly among stressed-out young people. These included fidget spinners, rings, balls, and loops with specific textures and features designed to engage the hands and soothe the mind. Fidget toys are still very popular today, particularly among American children and teens, the neurodivergent population, and people with anxiety.