Fidget toys are a trend with some staying power — and the newest Fashion Fidgets from WowWee bring even more color and creativity to the trend. This year’s latest additions to the collectibles line, which first launched last fall, include Pets, Mermaids, and a second series of fashionable dolls, all made in collaboration with Mrs. Bench, a leading fidget influencer on YouTube and TikTok.
Designed for kids ages 5 and up, each Fashion Fidget comes with at least three fidget features, but some come with more. Every box is a surprise, so kids never know which fidget style they are going to get!
There are plenty of ways for kids to use Fashion Fidgets. Kids can spin, click, pop, stretch, or turn different features, which are incorporated into the characters’ hair, skin, and/or clothing. Some of the fidget features are soft and squishy, such as the dolls’ rubbery hair or skirts, while others are harder, such as a twistable gear on the top of the doll’s head. Every doll in Series 2 and the Mermaids series comes with small buttons under their eyes in a special shape, such as hearts or stars. Personally, I found those buttons on the dolls’ cheeks to be the most satisfying feature to explore.
While Series 1 had 18 different dolls to collect (such as Classy Chloe, Stylin’ Suzy, and Dapper Dale), Series 2 introduces 12 more for kids to add to their collection. These dolls have names such as Orange Olivia, White Willa, and Charcoal Charli and come complete with removable skirts decorated with silicone bubbles that kids can pop. Kids can mix and match their favorite colors or start their collection based on their favorite fidget features.
The Mermaids series features nine dolls in total, such as Neat Nelly, Polished Pat, and Elegant Ella. These dolls come with a stretchable tube that kids can place them in to look like a mermaid’s tail. When wearing the tail, the doll can stand up on its own. Just like the standard Fashion Fidgets, the Mermaids series comes with a pamphlet that collectors can unfold to create a trading mat, which kids can use to exchange Fashion Fidgets.
Finally, the Pets collection features 16 different variations, such as #OOTD Ozzie, Sassy Sparkle, and Cutie Curlz. Each pet comes with either a removable popping skirt or a popping purse. Kids can mix and match these accessories as their collection grows. They can also remove the accessories to use them as standalone fidget toys — twice the fun! When kids add the Pets to their collection, they can swap the skits between them and the Series 2 dolls.
Not only are these Fashion Fidgets excellent fidget toys, but they also provide plenty of open-ended play as dolls. This combines the stress-release benefits of sensory play with the imaginative and storytelling play patterns that kids can engage in with dolls. The dolls themselves are not poseable, but they can stand up on their own, making for an excellent display. And now that there are Pets involved, the dolls have even more story potential and round out their Fashion Fidget world. All of the dolls also come with removable keychains, so kids can take them wherever they go by simply attaching them to a backpack, purse, or belt loop.
The new Fashion Fidgets collections expand this fidget (and budget)-friendly line with even more ways to play!
