If you have children, grandchildren, or great grandchildren, you have probably heard about fidget spinners.
My oldest daughter recently bought one with her own money and it is driving me nuts! But that story is for another day.
As I was thinking about how fidget spinners are taking over the world, I realized that I did not know anything about the genius behind the madness.
Here are some facts about Catherine Hettinger, the inventor of the fidget spinner:
- Hettinger’s first fidget spinner design dates back to a summer in the early 1990s, when Catherine was suffering from an autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis. Hettinger was struggling with muscles weakness and was having difficultly playing with her daughter. A need lead to an idea! Catherine invented a toy that both she and her daughter could spin.
- Hettinger spent the next few years selling her design at craft fairs around Florida. She just broke even.
- In 1997, Hettinger filed for and successfully secured a patent for her design with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
- Hasbro showed interest in Hettinger’s design but decided against proceeding with production after testing the design.
- In 2005, Hettinger’s patent lapsed after 8 years, because Catherine was not able to afford the $400 renewal fee.
- Hettinger is not making any money off of her now famous invention.
- Although Hettinger wishes she would have been rewarded for her efforts, she is still positive about how her invention is impacting people. She said, “But for me I’m just pleased that something I designed is something that people understand and really works for them.”
- When Hettinger was asked about letting go of the spinner patent, Catherine only commented about one reget. “I would probably be doing more inventing.”
We all dream of inventing the next big thing, but in reality only a small percentage of inventors become wealthy because of their inventions. And the fidget spinner is a modern day example of this truth!
The information and quotes from this posts are based on the following article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/may/03/fidget-spinner-inventor-patent-catherine-hettinger#img-2
Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/fidget-spinner-spinner-toys-2343174/