Despite its name, your workspace doesn't have to only be about work. If you're like us, there are going to be times when your hands are idle while you internally contemplate a problem, or as you simply spend a few minutes staring out a window, daydreaming.
Give 'em something to do with these five office-friendly fidget toys below.
PlayableART Helicone »
($60)
The Helicone is an interactive kinetic sculpture that, with a quick twist, transforms between helix and pine cone shapes, and it’s suuuper satisfying to play with:
It's made from 38 precisely laser-cut wooden pieces assembled on a brass tube, and includes a solid wood display stand.
PlayableART Ball »
($30)
Made by the same folks as the Helicone above, the PlayableART Ball is a set of 20 colorful, interconnected wooden balls that can be easily twisted and turned into a number of shapes, like so:
They’re made from high-quality beech wood and colored with non-toxic, water-based paint that'll add a nice touch of color to your workspace.
Moondrop Fidget Toy »
($25)
Designed by Kristoph Krisjans — who's also made popular crowdfunded desk spinners like the Vortecon and the Mezmoglobe — the Moondrop is a gravity-defying desk toy made from aerospace-grade materials with strong neodymium magnets inside.
The slider bit in the middle has a precisely calculated amount of resistance meant to imitate gravity on the Moon and on Mars. It's also fun to flip and spin around in all kinds of ways:
The “Thinket Now” Fidget Toy »
($64–$75)
David Weinstock's generation-3.0 Thinket Now looks similar to the Moondrop at first, but operates rather differently. The bar has to be pushed through the tube's magnetic field, rather than simply falling one way or the other.
By placing an O-ring on either end of the slider's head (or removing it), you can modify whether it bounces or thuds as it slides. Each is satisfying in its own way.
The Vortex Dome by PhysicsHack »
($90)
David Fowler of the PhysicsHack YouTube channel handmakes a marvelous desk toy he calls the Vortex Dome. You simply spin the glass dome one way or the other and watch the rheoscopic fluid swirl fascinatingly inside. Be careful because it WILL hypnotize you.
All kidding aside, this is a handy thing to have around if you need something to focus your mind or sooth your nerves, at your desk or elsewhere. Fowler put together a video showing it in action:
We also like this video (you may recognize the guy in it from a past guide of ours):
Each Vortex Dome is handmade to order in the UK. I'm linking the blue version on Amazon here, but you can also order straight from the maker and get additional color choices like green, gold, orange, or purple. After international shipping costs and currency conversion, the cost is about the same: ~$90 USD.