We knew nothing of the fidget spinners until a year ago, and the craze for the little toy spread like wildfire and none of us could keep their hands off of them. While their inventor made nothing out of it, it is adding considerably to the toy business. Some made spinners out of gallium and some just attached rockets to the regular ones, but some went as far as turning iPhones into fidget spinners. As the rage heightened, modifications of the toy appeared and we now commonly see Bluetooth enabled electronic fidget spinners. They only bad news is, they are exploding.
The local media in the US is reporting incidents of fidget spinners catching fire while their batteries to power Bluetooth speakers were being charged. We do not really understand why you would need your fidget spinner to have speakers, but that is not the point. Parents in Michigan and Alabama have reported stories of their kids’ toys catching fire while they charged, plugged into a wall outlet.
Kimberley Allums of Gardendale Alabama talked to WBRC saying, “We were about five or 10 minutes from leaving the house for the day. [My son] noticed it burst into flames and he started screaming. I was downstairs, and all I heard was, ‘fire, fire.’ The fidget spinner wasn’t smoking, it was in flames.”
Allums also said that the spinner had been charging for no more than 45 minutes and when she tried to find out the name of the manufacturer on the box, all she found were the words, “Made in China.”
Michelle Carr, the other mother from Michigan whose fidget spinner saw the fire accident said, “They’re just simple, little things you spin, and I love to play with them. I know there are tons of kids who want to go get them, but if you plug them in, just stay by and make sure it’s charged and it doesn’t catch.”
The Consumer Product Safety Commission who is investigating the toy explosion accidents has issued a statement:
Never charge a product with batteries overnight while you are sleeping. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions and use the charger from the manufacturer that is designed specifically for your device. CPSC is also investigating reported incidents involving children and fidget spinners. We advise parents to keep fidget spinners away from young children, because they can choke on small parts. Warn older children not to put fidget spinners in their mouths.
Lack of consumer safety standards due to the rush for bringing the toys to the market causes many incidents of the sort. This was just a couple of fidget spinners going ablaze without any considerable damage, but the potential damage that it could cause is undeniable. If you face a safety issue with your fidget spinners, you can report it to SaferProducts.gov.