From Fad to Foundation

Fidget spinners were hot items last summer (four to five months ago), but are they still cool?

Fidget spinners.

You've heard of them, haven't you? They are one of the hottest toys of 2017.

A fidget spinner is a little device that has paddle-shaped blades attached to a central core. When you squeeze the core and give the blades a flick, they begin to spin. Because they are colorful and inexpensive, just a few dollars apiece, many children have a bunch of them.

These toys have generated controversy -- some schools ban them as a distraction. But over time, the fad will fade and fidget spinners will gather dust along with hula hoops, troll dolls, Beanie Babies and jelly bracelets.

Not that fads are limited to children. Adults are equally susceptible to fads. Two words: pet rocks. Over a six-month period in the mid-1970s, 1.5 million pet rocks were sold. These smooth stones were sold in cardboard boxes with a nest of straw and breathing holes. They were rocks! And sane, normal people -- teachers, lawyers, stock brokers -- went to work, and they had a pet rock on their desk. Go figure.