‘Shark Tank’: Why ‘Fidgetland’ Devices May Be Better Than Those Spinners You Know Too Well

There was one device that hit the market earlier this year that almost everyone ran to buy: the fidget spinner. You’d think that something so widely available just a few months ago would preclude a competing product to make an appearance on Shark Tank. That conventional wisdom is challenged tonight, however, as the proprietor of Fidgetland pitches his idea to the panel of sharks.

But Fidgetland is a bit different than that three-pronged device that Live Science reported in August may or may not help with ADHD symptoms and is banned in classrooms across the country. Unlike the fidget spinner, Fidgetland‘s flagship product fits into the palm of your hand. In fact, Fidgetland founder Jason Burns, himself living with ADHD, did the beginning of his Shark Tank pitch using his product the whole time — but none of the sharks noticed. It fits into the palm of the hand.

In an interview with Heavy, Burns described how he came up with the idea, and no, it wasn’t to try to knock off the makers of fidget spinners. He’s actually been working with his product for 10 years and conceived it as a way of people like himself to burn off excess energy so they wouldn’t have to click pens, tap their feet, or otherwise engage in behaviors that for many people are simply just a natural way of being.

According to Burns, the Fidgetland device also helps with cognitive processes, which can become overloaded in an individual living with ADHD.

“[It] occupies the part of your brain that gets bored so the other part can pay attention and focus.”

Pop Sugar reported in May that Fidgetland makes 10 different fidget toys, including the Noah, which the Pop Sugar writer claimed helped relieve some of her fidget behaviors.

So will the sharks bite? As fans of the show know, it’s all about the sales. In the case of such a small and reasonably priced device, some sharks may also want to know if there is anything proprietary about the design. The woman who originally created the fidget spinner wasn’t able to enjoy financial success when it became popular this year, as The Guardian reported, because of issues with patent protection.

But some sharks may want to get in for a quick return on Shark Tank sales. Fans will have to wait and see.

An all-new episode of Shark Tank airs Sunday, October 8, on ABC.

[Featured image by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images]