Fidget spinners are currently all the rage with children across the globe, and are flying off the shelves of local toy shops.
However schools across the UK have been confiscating the items from their grounds.
The handheld gadgets work by being twirled between your fingers, and were first developed as a means for children with ADHD or autism to relieve stress.
Ross Pamplin, store manager at Dundee toy shop, The Entertainer, said the country is in the midst of a major “toy trend” because of the fidget spinners, which have been amongst the shop’s most popular items for months now.
However they are not the first playthings to capture the imagination of youths across the globe.
We’ve compiled a list of some of the biggest toy trends to grip the UK.
1: Tamagotchis
Remember these?
Made in Japan, they had only three buttons but allowed users to care for a virtual pet from its “hatch” before feeding, toilet-training and caring for it. Neglecting your tamagotchi would have tragic consequences.
2: Pokemon cards
When Pokemon hit the screens in the late 1990s, it became a worldwide phenomenon. Spanning from a TV show, the franchise produced some terrible movies, but also many great games and toys.
However the Pokemon trading card game was one of the most enduring crazes of the era. School yards across the world were full of children swapping “star cards”. Anyone with a Charizard, one of the rarest, reigned supreme.
The franchise is still going to this day with app, Pokemon Go, a huge hit last year.
3: Pogs
Another classic that most 90s kids will remember. Though the game, also known as “milk caps”, is believed to have originated in the 1920s or 1930s, they were brought back into the mainstream in the 1990s and became a huge hit.
4: Yo-Yos
Yo-Yos became hugely popular in the late 1990s, even being labelled the “craze of the century”. Performing tricks with the toys was a great skill, but most of us could never get past the classic “walk the dog” routine. The Yomega Brain was among the best and most popular of all yo-yos.
5: Furbies
Released in 1998, these electronic robots slightly resembling Gizmo from gremlins were huge. Every kid wanted one, and more than 40million were sold during their first three years of production. They even spoke their own language, “Furbish”.
6: Light-up shoes
Not a toy, but only the coolest kids in town had these bad boys.
7: Slap bracelets
Endlessly fun. And still on the go to this day, apparently.
They worked by slapping the rigid bracelet against your wrist. On contact with the skin they would then “snap” and curl around your skin.
8: Polly Pocket and Mighty Max
These mini playsets were aimed at girls and boys respectively, with each toy telling their own story.
9: Hama Beads
These allow you to create artworks out of plastic beads using a “pegboard”, ironing over them to create a solid masterpiece. They have been on the go for decades now, but had a resurgence in recent years.
10: Tech Decks
For people who loved skateboarding so much, they even did it with their fingers (often, to the annoyance of teachers, in classrooms).
11: Loom Bands
The big craze of 2014, these bracelets were hugely popular amongst both boys and girls. Alas, it’s a trend that’s all but died out…
