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Over the past several years, fidget toys have become a hot commodity among children and adults alike. These sensory toys are often used to self-regulate, reduce anxiety and maintain focus. But, they’re also just fun to play with and collect.
Many fidget toys — especially specific brands like NeeDoh — have gone viral to the point of being sold out at retail stores after customers wait outside in line for hours (1) to get the latest edition.
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According to Fortune Business Insights (2), the global fidget toy market size was valued at $9.01 billion in 2025 and is expected to grow to $17.65 billion by 2034.
The fidget toy craze has gotten so popular that a TikToker who goes by the username of Mrs. Bench (3) has capitalized on the popularity and opened up her own storefront (4)in Sarasota, Florida dedicated to selling — and trading — fidget toys (5).
The store is called Fidget Toys Plus, and if you book an appointment, you can bring in your own fidget toys and trade them for different ones with Mrs. Bench herself. The videos of these trades have garnered millions of views, but some commenters aren’t so sure that the kids Mrs. Bench is trading with are getting a fair deal.
Moneywise reached out to Mrs. Bench for comment and is awaiting a response.
How trades works
Mrs. Bench lays out a laminated sheet for traders to place their toys on. If she thinks the offer is fair, she’ll tap the check mark. If she doesn’t, she’ll tap the plus symbol indicating that the trader needs to add more to make a deal.
In one of her fidget trading videos (6), she offers three fidget toys, for the young trader’s blue NeeDoh stress ball, which retails at an average of $30.
One commenter (@agirlandagrossdog) wrote: “Mrs. Bench gave the little girl dollar tree crap for an original NeeDoh.”
While it’s difficult to confirm the exact cost or retail source of what Mrs. Bench traded, a reverse image search of the items indicates the total value of her offering at around $15.
Read More: 7 top habits of 'quietly wealthy' Americans. How many do you follow?
What this social media trend says about kids’ financial literacy
Fidget toy trading is just one trend that highlights where kids and young people are at with financial literacy, and what social media is teaching them. Another example is the lucky scoops trend, which is quickly introducing children to gambling-esque behavior.
With kids being exposed to these kinds of videos online, it’s worth taking into consideration what financial lessons they could really benefit from to combat the effects of these online trends. At the end of the day, these trends impact kids’ understanding of saving and spending money, and its value overall.
A recent survey by Intuit (7) revealed that 64% of parents say money is tight, and it’s leading them to be more open with their kids about money.
Surveyed parents said that hands-on experiences such as earning their own income, having regular conversations about money and saving up for non-essential items on their own prove to be an effective tool in teaching children about money. These parents find it of the utmost importance to teach their kids about money, seeing as 51% received no financial literacy education in school and 83% wished they had received more financial education as a kid overall.
While these fidget trading endeavors might seem like harmless fun, it’s worth taking a closer look at what it says to kids about the value of a dollar — and improving their financial literacy could make all the difference.
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Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines.
TikTok (1), (3), (6); Fortune Business Insights (2); Fidget Toys Plus (4); YouTube (5); Intuit (7)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
