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Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by bcherny on Thursday June 01, 2017 @06:35AM (#14459197)
Does anyone know who is behind the Fidget Spinner phenomenon? A few months ago they didn't exist, and now they're everywhere. Who's getting rich off this?
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by throwanem on Thursday June 01, 2017 @06:38AM (#14459208)
No one, because they're not branded or licensed. The people doing well out of them own the factories in China that make them, or buy them from those factories to mark up and sell to the gas stations and convenience stores where they get marked up again and sold to the kids who want them.

Thirty (twenty?) years ago, it was "slap bracelets". Same story; it's just that the Internet makes everything faster.

Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by joefreeman on Thursday June 01, 2017 @08:01AM (#14459532)
There was a recent StartUp (the podcast) episode about slap bracelets: https://gimletmedia.com/episode/you-have-to-invent-something...
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by electic on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:37AM (#14459434)
The Fidget Spinner as we know it came about because the patent holder could not afford the fees to renew the said patent. Her name is Catherine Hettinger[1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/03/fidget-...

Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by BrandoElFollito on Thursday June 01, 2017 @04:53PM (#14464588)
It looks like it is not her after all (also saw that on other sites) : https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-11/how-the-f...
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by deluvas on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:10AM (#14459336)
They did exist, they just weren't very popular.

I remember back in January, there was this video [1] that kept showing in everybody's recommended videos, similar to the "1000 DEGREE EXPERIMENTAL KNIVES" video from MrGear [2]. It became popular very quickly and so the trend started.

[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mP-tqMKqDAQ

[2] https://youtu.be/hjSheQ7LgJ4

Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by gh0zt on Thursday June 01, 2017 @06:57AM (#14459290)
According to an article linked here https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14271914 Catherine Hettinger filed the original patent
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by ilanco on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:13AM (#14459344)
As pointer out by @wlesieutre [1], the fidget spinner does not do not correspond to the claims of Catherine Hettinger's patent.

[1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14271914

Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by Artlav on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:01AM (#14459299)
Perhaps Ripple have something to do with it - http://coinmarketcap.com/currencies/ripple/
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by bentpins on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:26AM (#14459393)
Why would Ripple have anything to do with it?
Re:A virtual Fidget Spinner by Artlav on Thursday June 01, 2017 @07:48AM (#14459476)
Ripple symbol: http://www.cryptocoinsinsider.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01...

Seriously, jokes about Ripple is the only time i ever heard about "fidget spinners". They likely have nothing to do with it what-so-ever.