Customs officials in Germany have seized 77,000 pounds of fidget spinners deemed unsafe for children’s use. It’s a move that many a teacher may have fantasized about in recent months while wresting one of the whirling, hand-held doodads from a child. A spokesperson from German customs administration said the confiscated toys had loose parts that could pose choking hazard and lacked instructions and other required information, according to the Associated Press.
While German authorities plan to crush the Chinese-made toys into oblivion, the spinning menace continues elsewhere.
Fidget spinners currently make up 10 of the 15 best-selling toys on Amazon (though there are signs the trend is fading—a month ago, fidget spinners swept the top 16 spots.) If you haven’t been around any children lately, fidget spinners are palm-sized, twirlable gadgets originally marketed with the claim that they reduce anxiety and improve focus, particularly for children with ADHD or autism. There is zero evidence for these claims, and many schools have banned the toys entirely.