In 2017, a burst of inspiration hit me as fidget spinners became a ubiquitous sight on the streets. I was working at Reedville Goods, a vintage sign shop, experimenting with laser cutting and sublimation. As I played around, I started making custom fidget spinners, incorporating fun designs and the logos of my close YouTube friends.
At the 2017 Bay Area Maker Faire, while filming a vlog showcasing one of my logo spinners, I noticed something remarkable – the logo on the spinner appeared to be animated. This revelation sparked an idea, which I discussed with my friend Garrett, to create a three-frame animation of 8-bit Mario on a spinner. When I recorded it, I was blown away by the results and immediately shared it on Twitter.
The response was overwhelming. My animated spinners went viral and for the next six months or so, and I sold an incredible number of them online. Although the fidget spinner craze eventually waned, I decided to revisit the project in 2020. To my surprise, the new designs were an instant hit once again.
To this day, creating new designs for my animated spinners remains one of my greatest passions and biggest successes.
Below is a selection of my favorite spinners I’ve created throughout the years.
If you want a more in depth look at my animated spinners, including in depth making of videos take a look at my social media links at the top of the page.