Forget about L.O.L. Dolls and Baby Yoda (also known as The Child). The latest toy craze is sweeping the country, with kids from all over flocking to their Facebook pages to learn more about their products. Pop It has captivated kids around the world with their popping blisters, which are described recently in The New York Times. Here’s everything you need to know about these bendy silicone toys and how they may benefit children.
Where Pop It Fidget Toys Originated
Theo and Ora Coster are the creators of Pop It, a game that began in Israel with Theo and his wife Ora. According to the BBC, they developed more than 190 games over the years, including Guess Who?, as well as establishing a business called Theora Design. (Amazing fact: Theo was Anne Frank’s former classmate.)
In the mid-1970s, Ora’s sister died from breast cancer, and in her dream, a field of breasts appeared. When describing his mother’s vision, Boaz Coster, her son and co-C.E.O. of Theora Design, said: “Imagine a field of breasts that you can press from one side and then press from the other.” FoxMind acquired Theo’s prototype after their children sold it to the Montreal gaming firm for several years.
The game-style gadget is manufactured in silicone by Wildfire Interactive and marketed as a game called Last One Lost, a puzzle in which two players press the bubbles together until one of them pops. It was first released in 2013, but it wasn’t very popular. In 2019, it was relaunched as Pop It! and became available at Target stores.
How Pop It Fidget Toys Took Off
The toy’s big moment was chronicled in a viral TikTok video. Gaitlyn Rae, a capuchin monkey-turned-influencer with almost 8 million followers, is seen playing with a Pop It in the video. “Somebody sent her a pop-it for her birthday,” stated Jessica Lacher, the owner of the capuchin monkey.
Gaitlyn’s video sparked a craze. You can now purchase Pop It-style knockoffs, which aren’t authorized by FoxMind, in a range of shapes and colours. Versions inspired by Peppa Pig, dinosaurs, unicorns, pineapples, and other characters are available.
According to The New York Times, kids have adored Pop It during the epidemic and while learning remotely. “Especially in these times, they can be calming,” Adrienne Appell, a senior vice president at The Toy Association, told The New York Times. “They are even being appreciated by adults.”
The Benefits of Fidget Toys
Fidget toys, according to some experts, may help children focus because they provide a physical outlet for activity. Because the act of fidgeting allows the mind to be still and concentrate, it is believed that this toy might assist ADHD kids in focusing.
“If your child’s hands or feet are still, it’s a safe bet that his or her mind isn’t.” Thomas Beck, M.D., co-founder of the Winston Center for Attention, Language, & Learning tells Parents.com that I frequently tell parents that if their kid’s feet or fingers are still, his or her mind is probably not. “There will be more issues with attention, not less!”
Every kid is unique, as Yamalis Diaz, PhD, a clinical psychologist and a clinical assistant professor at New York University Grossman School of Medicine, explained to The New York Times. She has treated two children with the same diagnosis who both chose a Rubik’s Cube as a fidget toy; one child could answer questions while he played with the toy, but the other was completely engrossed by it and couldn’t multitask.
However, whether they’re using them as fidget toys or trading them with friends, it appears that children are getting a lot of enjoyment from bubble wrap-style gadgets. The only thing that remains to be seen is how long Pop It fidget toys will remain on store shelves.
