SOUTH ABINGTON TOWNSHIP -- If you have children, there's a good chance you've heard of the "Fidget Spinner." It's the latest toy craze that is becoming harder and harder to find in stores.
If you're wondering what a fidget spinner is, you're not alone.
Hitesh Patel had the same question about a week ago when a supplier brought a small order to his Valero gas station in South Abington Township.
"I Googled it, and I'm like, 'Oh my God! I didn't realize how crazy this is," said Patel. "I told him after he left and he brought me five more dozen and then they all sold out in a day. The next day, I ordered another 10 dozen, sold out in like two days."
Parents have come in droves, saying their kids have been begging for the $5 toy that continuously spins between your fingers.
"I think it's amazing," said Richard Bates of Clarks Summit. "I was just telling (my wife) that they're in here and so she wants me to grab a whole bunch of them."
Bates picked up a few for his three kids, further depleting the shrinking supply.
Like many of the toy crazes before it, Fidget Spinners are actually pretty simple. They're just three weighted prongs centered on a ball bearing and somehow that equals hours of entertainment for the young and young at heart.
"You just spin them on your finger, or just spin them on the table, and watch them spin. It gives you something to concentrate on, clear your mind," said Joe Chomack of Throop.
Chomack has been researching Fidget Spinner tricks online, proving the toy isn't just for kids.
Manufacturers claim the spinners have a calming effect that hasn't been proven just yet, but the owner of Junior's Convenient in Throop says there's evidence the spinning fad may have staying power.
He's sold more than 1,000 in the past week.
"We have people coming from Carbondale, Jessup, Dunmore, Dickson City, all over," said Rocky Prajapidi.
Fidget Spinners are sold at various stores in Lackawanna County and online.
