You may have already heard about pop-it and simple-dimple toys, which are now very popular with both children and adults. Waste of time? Maybe! However, the need for such gizmos was also experienced by those who lived before our era. What devices have helped us calm our nerves in the past?
When we are nervous, bored, or emotionally exhausted, we are tempted to twist our hair or simply tap our fingers on the table. Tactile sensations bring us back to reality, to the state of «here and now», and thus help relieve stress.
That is why various anti-stress toys have recently begun to be in special demand. So, literally in a matter of months, pop-it and simple-dimple became popular on social networks — double-sided multi-colored silicone panels with bubbles that, when squeezed, make a sound similar to the bursting of a bubble wrap. They allow us to direct our destructive energy outward and find peace.
And what anti-stress toys calmed us down before?
Rubik’s Cube
One of the first such inventions was, of course, the Rubik’s Cube, which is still in demand. And this is not surprising, because the puzzle helps to disconnect from problems for a while, develops logical thinking, and also improves memory.
The idea of the cube belongs to the teacher of industrial design and architecture from Hungary, Erno Rubik. He had to work hard on the project: creating a puzzle was not the first time, but the result was certainly worth it. Now she also has modifications, the most famous of which is Meffert’s pyramid: the same Rubik’s cube, but in the form of a pyramid.
Yo-yo
This toy is even older than the Rubik’s Cube — its popularity peaked at the beginning of the 500th century. At the same time, according to historical data, the first mention of the yo-yo refers to ancient Greece and dates back to XNUMX BC.
A classic yo-yo is two identical disks connected by an axle on which a rope is wound. One of its ends is attached to the finger of the player. The toy works on the principle of Maxwell’s pendulum: after spinning, the disc returns back up the rope due to inertia.
Note that the yo-yo copes with stress so well that during the French Revolution for many prisoners it became the last outlet — it was this toy that some of them held in their hands minutes before the execution.
Slinky
Remember those rainbow-colored plastic springs from the 1943s that had the funny ability to «step» from a stack of books onto a bookshelf? This toy was invented in 400 by American naval engineer Richard James. It was a hit at the time, with the first 90 toys on the market sold out in XNUMX minutes.
In addition to its original function — to bring a person into peace of mind — Slinks were used in schools as a teaching aid, and NASA used it in physics experiments as a radio antenna. The spring experienced the second wave of popularity at the end of the XNUMXth century.
In 2000, Slinky was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. A In 2003, she was included in the «Toy Age» list of the Toy Manufacturers Association.
Gum for hands
Slime, or chewing gum, was also developed in 1943 by Scottish engineer James Wright. It is made from a special polymer and looks like plasticine. The peculiarity of the slime is that it has the properties of two types of substances at once: liquid and solid. It flows through the holes and does not hold its shape for long, but if you make a ball out of it, then it will jump. And if you hit it with something heavy, it will break into fragments.
Spinner
A relatively new anti-stress invention is a rotating spinner, the more ancient prototype of which can be called the well-known spinning top. The creator of this toy has not yet been unequivocally established, but, according to the latest information, he is considered an IT specialist and businessman Scott McCoskery.
According to the entrepreneur, he invented the spinner for himself — it helped him cope with the excitement at meetings and online conferences. Then orders for this device began to come to him from colleagues, and later from strangers at all — then McCoskery realized that he had found a real gold mine!
Many people think that anti-stress toys are a waste of time and money. But millions of children and adults will not agree with them. In a world of overcoming stress, any way to quickly calm down is good. Especially if it is not harmful to health and in all respects harmless.