The Secret to World Peace, or, The universality of the "button spinner"

Today was a long day. Frankly, I should be in bed, but the sudden and irrepressible urge to share my latest discovery has prompted me to write despite bouts of drowsiness.

I spent the day at a heritage fair. Music, food, museum peeps, members of the general public, me in a Victorian dress... it had it all! I set up my little booth with my fancy banners, promptly took said banners down because they kept falling over in the wind, and thanked my lucky stars that I thought to borrow the old-fashioned toys kit so that there would be something on my table. Said toys let me to a fascinating discovery.

BEHOLD!

The Button Spinner!!

Yes, it's unimpressive. Yes, it's really simple. But dammit if it's not the most engaging toy in my pioneer toy arsenal!

There was one little boy who kept coming back to my table. "I've thought of a new trick!" he'd say as he found a way to get it to spin behind his head. Or knee. Or vertically. I demonstrated it so many times that I can't count. Children, adults, grandparents, teenagers, everyone wanted a turn. And while the cup and ball is always a popular option, the button spinner's simplicity is what makes it so awesome.

"I don't get it," says the 20-something girlfriend watching her boyfriend grin like a small child when he figures it out.

He hands it to her to try. She fumbles several times, stating, "I don't get it. It's dumb."

"Here, let me show you," he replies patiently.

It takes about a minute, but her face fills with awe and she exclaims, "Oh my god! I've got it." She's quiet for nearly a minute, mesmerized by the button on a string. "Woah, I could do this all day."

This was pretty much how my day went. What I found the best, however, was the regular stream of New Canadians who came up to the table and said, "Wow! I used to play with those back home! But we used to use bottlecaps/real buttons/wax/milk lids." Watching them teach their Canadian-born children a toy from their childhood filled me with super-awesome feelings of museum goodness. Especially when I shared the history of the toy, including the stories of the others I had met throughout the day.

Wondering where it was played with? I now present to you:

The United Brotherhood of Button Spinning