Once you pop you can’t stop, it seems, with Britons
increasingly hooked on fidget toys that mimic the joy of popping bubble wrap
over and over again. Retailers have shifted 5m pop its or fidget poppers
since stores reopened in April, confirming the toy as the biggest craze since
fidget spinners swept through the playground in 2017 and one that is likely to
run until Christmas. The trend has been amplified by social media sites
such as TikTok, where clips of pop its have attracted billions of views. No toy
brand dominates the market but the idea is said to be that of games designers
Theo and Ora Coster, who are credited with nearly 200 inventions including
Guess Who. However, the climate emergency means the enjoyment of popping is
tempered by awareness of the potential environmental cost. To keep its
shelves full The Entertainer is bringing in 70 containers from China on a
charter boat but is having to pay $19,000 a container compared with a pre-Covid
rate of $1,500.
