Our Top 12 Favourite Fidget Toys
Bond & Wild Blog
Written by J.E.M Hast
As support workers and members of the neurodiverse community, the team and Bond & Wild spend a lot of time playing with fidget toys. Our favourite supplier is Kaiko Fidgets, a Melbourne-based family company with a neurodivergent team! They make a lot of their fidgets and have a huge variety available through their website and at in-person events.
I actually first met Kai and his mum Joanne at the Mornington Craft Market quite a few years ago, when they were just starting out. I remember having a lovely chat with Joanne and picking up some Christmas gifts for friends and family, as well as a fidget to try for myself. This was well before I was diagnosed with ASD and ADHD, but something about the spinning, shiny fidgets were irresistible. Since then I’ve been a return customer, both at conventions and their online store. So, of course, I leapt at the opportunity to review some of their fidgets! The fidgets on this list are all from either my household collection or the Bond & Wild company stash. (This isn’t a sponsored post - we just genuinely love their products.)
However, everyone has unique sensory needs and will have wildly different opinions on each fidget. To give you a balanced perspective, I roped some friends and family in to help me review each toy! Seven of us, aged between 23 and 65, sat down with each fidget and filled out forms rating each one in four categories:
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Sensory - Is it fun to play with? Does it feel nice?
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Suitability - How well does it help you focus or self-regulate?
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Subtlety - Could you use this in public, like at work or school?
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Satisfaction - How do you rate it overall?
For each category, participants rated each fidget on a scale of 1 to 5 stars. (Yes, all the categories start with an S - I had to make them match…) They could also make optional comments. This list has been ordered based on the average satisfaction rating for each toy, starting from lowest to highest. Averages have been rounded to one decimal place. Let’s get into it!
12. Stretch Bunny
The Stretch Bunny is a cute little rabbit that can be pulled and reshaped. The outside has a rubbery texture and the filling feels like sand. Mine didn’t come from Kaiko, but it is the same as the one stocked on their website.
- Sensory: 2.7/5
- Suitability: 2.4/5
- Subtlety: 2.1/5
- Satisfaction 2.7/5
“Sooo cute! I feel bad for squishing it but it's fun to smush it into shape.” - J, 27
“Very good. Only problems are loud 'rice' noise when squeezing and impact of size on concealment.” - F, 23
“Very bad. The sound and texture is gross.” - L, 23
11. Hungry D
The 'Hungry D' is a metal fidget made up of an outer ring and bike chain links. The chain can be pushed in and out of the ring, or twirled around on fingers.
- Sensory: 2.4/5
- Suitability: 2.8/5
- Subtlety: 3.7/5
- Satisfaction 2.7/5
“A little noisy, but wouldn't distract other people.” - L, 23
“…I want to go riding my bike!” - S, 65
“Annoying. Cold.” - T, 55
10. Marble Mesh
The Marble Mesh Fidget is a simple toy constructed with mesh and containing a single marble. You play with it by pushing the marble up and down.
- Sensory: 2.6/5
- Suitability: 2.9/5
- Subtlety: 4.1/5
- Satisfaction 2.7/5
“Love it! Top 3!” - T, 55
“The texture of the black mesh is very rough. While enjoyable, the motion… becomes repetitive after a short duration.” - F, 23
“Probably too small for my hand size.” - S, 65
The Jelly Mochi Animals come in a range of colours and types of animal. Mine is a purple bunny! They’re soft, squishy fidgets which can be stretched, squeezed and smushed.
- Sensory: 3/5
- Suitability: 3.1/5
- Subtlety: 3.7/5
- Satisfaction 3/5
“Doesn't get sticky like some other mochi, which is great. Really feels like jelly!” - J, 27
“Clammy and sticky. Not a favourite.” - S, 65
“Feels like it came out of a nappy.” - T, 55
8. Fidget Pad
The fidget pad is like the classic fidget cube, but improved! Its shape is reminiscent of a miniature game controller, making it particularly appealing for gamers. It has a range of sensory features on a small surface. While mine was from Kaiko, it’s an old, simpler design which might not be available anymore. However, the newer ones are more vibrant and have some patterned designs.
- Sensory: 3.6/5
- Suitability: 3.4/5
- Subtlety: 2.7/5
- Satisfaction 3/5
“Big fan. I like that it has noisy and quiet options. Lots of ways to fidget.” - J, 27
“Good options. The amount of noise from some options means it can't be taken anywhere.” - L, 23
“It's not for me. More resistance would be nice. It's a bit flimsy.” - E, 28
Infinity cubes are becoming more and more popular. The eight connected cubes fold in various ways which allow you to engage with either one or both hands. Unfortunately, many infinity cubes available at toy stores are made from cheap, lightweight plastic with visible seams. The ones available at Kaiko are much sturdier. They come in three weights - here, we’ve looked at the lightest (silver) and heaviest (black) varieties.
The silver infinity cube is the original and the lightest in the collection. Unlike the others, it isn’t made of metal, which means that it’s also the quietest.
- Sensory: 3.3/5
- Suitability: 3.4/5
- Subtlety: 2.1/5
- Satisfaction 3/5
“Very enjoyable to use and movement requires just the right amount of effort. Noisy clicks reduces subtlety.” - F, 23
“Love love love. Too noisy for quiet places though.” - L, 23
“I was worried it would break if moved the wrong way.” - S, 65
The black infinity cube is made from zinc alloy metal and has impressive heft. It’s almost twice the weight of its silver counterpart, despite being the same size.
- Sensory: 3/5
- Suitability: 3.3/5
- Subtlety: 2/5
- Satisfaction 3/5
“Really easy to get into a rhythm with this. Excellent weight.” - J, 27
“Could use in public settings like cafes but not at work or school - clicking is very obvious. Too heavy for long term use.” - L, 23
“Transformers gone wrong.” - T, 55
Flappy the Squishy Duck is a delightfully bright yellow duck. He can be squeezed and gently pulled, as he’s made of foam-like material. His wings, legs and neck also flap, which makes him a great companion for people like me who enjoy flapping as a stim.
- Sensory: 3.3/5
- Suitability: 3.6/5
- Subtlety: 2.6/5
- Satisfaction 3.1/5
“Very nice to squeeze and pull. Perfect amount of squeeze, give and resistance. It's a massive yellow thing, therefore not subtle.” - F, 23
“Sticky and somewhat gross. But FUN!” - S, 65
“Would score higher if it didn't gather dust/fluff so readily.” - E, 28
This colourful wooden fidget is made of 12 wood blocks connected by elastic. The grooves on the blocks enable the user to twist this fidget into a range of shapes (like pictured).
- Sensory: 3.6/5
- Suitability: 3.1/5
- Subtlety: 3/5
- Satisfaction 3.3/5
“One of my faves! The colours are great and it makes a satisfying clicky noise.” - J, 27
“Can make shapes, good snap, scrunchable.” - E, 28
“Corners don't feel great.” - S, 65
The Squeezibo by Noomi is a fidget made from squishy rubber encased in a stretchy cotton fabric. I purchased mine directly from Noomi at least four years ago and it’s still going strong! It weights around 75 grams, heavier than most squishies, and is very durable.
- Sensory: 3.6/5
- Suitability: 3.1/5
- Subtlety: 4.1/5
- Satisfaction 3.3/5
“Soft and squishy! Yum!” - S, 65
“Nice texture, great size. Fave.” - T, 55
“The texture is weird. Kinda unsettling.” - L, 23
3. Fiddle Stick
The Fiddle Stick is a nifty fidget with several distinct functions, including a switch, a rolling ball and numerous buttons. Mine came with the standard fidget spinner attachment, but we tested it without any attachments. (Apparently there’s a new cog attachment, which I’m really keen to try!)
- Sensory: 3.9/5
- Suitability: 3.1/5
- Subtlety: 2.7/5
- Satisfaction 3.4/5
“The highlight of this is the amount of stuff you can do on a small package.” - F, 23
“Too noisy but great variety for senses.” - T, 55
“Lots of options - like that. Noisy, not super subtle. Would like the slider to be springloaded.” - L, 23
2. Cog Spinner
The 42 gram cog spinner isn’t your typical fidget spinner. This tough metal fidget has three interlocking gears which can be rolled independently of the main spin function. Spinning it around the centre axis creates a fast, quiet spin with a mild level of vibration.
- Sensory: 3.6/5
- Suitability: 3.3/5
- Subtlety: 3.4/5
- Satisfaction 3.4/5
“Very subtle. Good weight. I like how repetitive it is.” - L, 23
“Big fan of metal. Suitable for large pockets.” - E, 28
“Feels like you should have more ways to use it… Cogs feel uncomfortable on skin.” - F, 23
The oil slick spinning cube is a uniquely shaped spinner constructed from three parts. You can hold both corner pieces to spin the main body, or vice versa. The beautiful oil slick effect is lovely when still but absolutely spectacular when you set the fidget in motion. This was by far the most popular fidget, receiving more 5 star ratings than any other.
- Sensory: 3.6/5
- Suitability: 3.6/5
- Subtlety: 3.6/5
- Satisfaction 4.1/5
“Great weight and feel. Like how the light reflects as it spins.” - S, 65
“Nice weight. Good spin. Very nice.” - L, 23
“Metal. Cold. Shockingly satisfying/mesmerising.” - T, 55