Fidget Spinners Are Taking Over The World — But Why?

NEW YORK CITY, NY — It's a simple little device, and it does pretty much one thing: It spins. But people across the country are scrambling to get their hands on one.

Fidget spinners are the breakout toy hit of the spring, a surprising phenomenon that no one expected and few seem able to explain. The toys themselves are held between the fingers and flicked so that they rotate at a rapid pace, whizzing in your hands. In the age of Angry Birds and Pokémon Go, this newest must-have toy is surprisingly low tech.

Whether the trend is driven by fear that most other forms of modern entertainment would be useless in a post-apocalyptic world or simply by the whims of a shifting and distractible culture, fidget spinners are taking over. You can find them at small-scale toy shops, newsstands and curbside vendors; they're becoming ubiquitous on public transportation and offices as they're being banned from some schools. Like any unpredictable fad of the past (remember Razor Scooters?), however, they'll likely fall out of fashion before you know it.

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images News/Getty Images