Fidget Spinners – the hottest new thing Lansing schools have banned

"Fidget spinners" are toys that initially caught on as a way to help kids with anxiety. Some special needs teachers have said they're helpful when it comes to keeping some autistic children calm. But now, they've exploded as the next big fad. And schools are not happy about it. According to WILX.com, the Lansing School District thinks they're distracting enough to ban students from playing with them in class.

Here's the story. With video, if you've never seen one of these things..

The sad story from behind the scenes is told by MSN.com. The original fidget spinners were invented in the 1990s by a woman named Catherine Hettinger, as a way to entertain her seven-year old daughter. Catherine held the patent on the original version, but didn't have the $400 she needed to renew the patent in 2005. So she let it go - along with the millions of dollars she would have made on it by now.

Here's the story.

Banana Don and Stephanie McCoy amuse and thrill you every weekday morning from 5:30 – 10AM on the radio at 100.7 WITL.

Noted zythologist and all-around fun guy Banana Don can be reached via email at don.jefferson@townsquaremedia.com and on Twitter at @WITLBananaDon and @WITLFM. Also, Facebook friend Banana Don and Stephanie at Facebook.com/BananaStephanie and Facebook.com/WITLFM.
Plus – check out the new WITL app. It’s much better than any other app – ever.