Stim Toolbox

  Comfy Browser Toys

  Stim Toys

I've had an interest in stim or "fidget" toys ever since I learned about them from tumblr's autism tags. I always did little random movements and I always wanted little things, so to see it had a name fascinated me. I could redirect my energy and collect trinkets at the same time. It was wonderfully practical. Unfortunately, more pressing matters distracted me, but they always lurked in my mind. As I attended my responsibilities, I wondered what to buy, or how I'd even do it at all. The world of stims was so big and colourful I didn't know how or when to start.

Until I did, and I decided I'd start with something I'd wanted, ever since I was a little one. It all started with a bag of kinetic sand and a dinky little plastic tray. Kinetic sand was a perfect idea, all the mess you can make without it truly being one. That, and the novelty of sand without the sensory torture of its billions of grains was a nice bonus. Like many other fascinations of mine, it lied forgotten, shadowed by another one. I was probably too busy playing Petz, watching Scooby Doo re-runs or looking at websites. Anyways, I was doing a marathon of Amicus' horror anthologies while I waited for the sand. Then, during The House that Dripped Blood, I recieved it in the post. I plopped it onto my plastic tray, which to my delight would sparkle in the sunlight, and it was great fun. So much fun I started getting ideas. Ideas of buying more stimmy thingies with my abundant pile of money. Jump forward to now, and I have quite the list to go over.

The List (In order of purchase)

• Kinetic Sand - It's purple, and very cool. I'm half tempted to keep it in a plastic box rather than the original air-sealed bag. That's one minor problem actually, the grains end up getting into the sealing mechanism and making the bag too easy to open. Maybe I'll decorate that box with stickers, hmmm...


• Sorting Dinosaurs - This is a set of colourful plastic dinosaurs you're supposed to sort. They come with their own bowls and you have to do it by colour. I'm the sort of autistic that likes to sort, my friends joke that cleaning is one of my hobbies. When I'm not tidying my other things, I mess with these dinosaurs to get that feeling. It's not the sort of stim you can whip out in an instant, but if you have some time to kill, it's a cute method. Sometimes I mix it up by trying to sort them with my eyes closed and using my fingers to figure out which one I'm holding. It's surprisingly relaxing.


• Fidget Slug - This was a recent trend at the time and I was seeing dozens of online listings for them. I love gastropods, rainbowy things and clicky sounds, so I had to get one for myself. It's one of the louder appliances but when I'm all alone, I give it a wiggle. While I do know about the 3D-printed versions, I'm not very interested in them. Anything with that texture feels too abrasive for me.


• Fidget Cube - I used to have one of these years ago, and wow, I loved it. The light-switch button got the most use, but the tiny gears were very fun as well. I sadly lost it somehow, presumably while clearing out my stuff. I did try to replace it, but I ran into bootlegs, each one with the sensory appeal of a brick. In this latest bout of shopping about, I finally got a legitimate cube. It's this neon green, and it even glows in the dark. Very kitschy.


• Fidget Controller - The sequel to the cube, and something that I'd wanted to try but also forgotten to get around to. It's not bad, actually!


• Kandi Bracelets - Another thing from the 2000s' that escaped my grasp. Like stim things, I saw them surface on tumblr under the "scene" tags, "scene" as in scene kids. Now I have some too, and they're sometimes on my wrists.


• Crotchet Fidgets - Handmade, so I'm getting a nice stim and supporting small artists. I have three marble pushing ones and a little noodle. I'd like to get more so I can have an equal amount of soft stims and hard stims.


• Wooden Stick Thing - I think this thing was carved from a whisky barrel.


• Ceramic Worry Stones - Just like the crochets, I'm getting nice stims and supporting small artists.


• Monster in my Pocket Figures- I have some series 1 Draculas. I'm a vampire sort, so I only collect vampire things.


• Chew Necklaces - I've already mangled these a good bit. I like the softer, thinner ones that don't end up hurting my jaw. My main and favourite necklace is a light grey ArkToys one with a bat on it.


• Pop-It Spinner - The original fidget spinner never really caught on with me, but when you add popping things to it, I'll bite. The pops feel good too, not like most commercial popping toys. It also comes in these segments you can rearrange as well, so when it spins it has this rainbow pinwheel look to it.


• Tangles- My absolute favourites. Tangles make me feel like I'm a cat, and I'm kneading into my own brain. Sounds painful if you've owned cats (and you've had your lap skewered by them) but it feels incredible. It's like rolling a giant ball of dough, while being the dough. My favourite tangle is this bright green one with knobbly bits all over it, it reminds me of slime. I also like this multicoloured halloween looking one that my friend Alex sent me.


• Crinkly Paper Things - Sometimes called baby paper, and yes, for literal babies. But the sound...It also has little knobbles on it, because of course it does!


• Marble Pushing Paper - It's a sheet of fabric with a little marble to push about. Mine has some pumpkins on it.


• Plastic Fish - Another neglected internet listing that I got my paws on. Appropriately, they're bath toys. Each fish comes in two halves, so you can pull them apart and create different types of fish. They change colour when you submerge them in water, which in my case, is my bathroom sink. They also make a funny gurgling sound when they're filling with water; it's how they're able to float. The water weighs them down in a way that keeps them bouyant and straight.


• Baby Balls - These are the first balls a lot of kids play with, and I got myself a set. They change colours depending on the batch, but they're all nice to squish or bounce off the wall.


• Whacky Tracks - Because those wooden snakes are evil. I'm shocked I didn't pick one of these up earlier. I store them by winding them up into a ring shape.


• Half Toys - I only have one right now, and it's the crocodile. Half-Toys whole gimmick is that they can split...in half. Then a skeleton pops out! Good fun, especially if you're of the more morbid variety. The bony bits slide into each-other with ease, and the outer layers of skin are magnetic.


• Halloween Chews - I got these in the post from Alex, and to say I love them is an understatement. Having anything from another country is exciting as is, but these? Oh, where do I start? Well, two of them look like little grim reapers. One's a sheet ghost wearing a jack-o-lantern, and the other one is a more typical grim reaper. Besides those two, I got this bangle thingy with these chewy "charms" on them. One's a skull and crossbones, the other's a little bat. The bangle's more lightweight, and I like to wiggle the "charms" about. Preferences aside, all three of these lovely chews are lined with knobbly bits!

So that is my silly little collection in full. Have a hearty chuckle at it if you may, but hey, I'll laugh with you.

  Stim Collecting Guide

1. Ask yourself what things you like. Do you want things with a certain colour or theme? What textures do you like? Do you like louder stims or quieter stims? Don't worry if you don't know, I didn't realise how much I liked things with knobs until I tried them. Sometimes you have to improvise and there's stuff you probably won't be too fussed with, but it's good to try things.
2. Find a good, reliable store. This is about as common sense as can be, but it's good to get stuff from a consistent source. I highly recommend sensory toy stores, most countries should have a few vendors around and they're explicitly for autistic people. There's also the added bonus of getting other sensory things from them, like ear protection or weighted blankets. You can definitely get creative and venture outside these sources, but they're good if you're a first-timer.
3. Watch out for bootlegs. They're fragile, not fun to use and generally a disappointment. Some bootlegs can defy this expectation, but they're few and far between. Bootleg tangles can range from "bad" to unexpectedly pleasant. Bootleg fidget cubes on the other hand? They're spawns of the devil and not to be trusted. The buttons on them feel clammy and squishy, and the gears just refuse to move. Trust me, you deserve better.
4. Have storage at the ready. Besides looking nice and staying organised, you don't want to lose your cool finds. Plus, you can decorate your containers any way you see fit. I like to put stickers on mine, usually glittery or holographic ones. Any chewable stims should go in their own storage container, something easily washable for the sake of hygiene.
5. Trade with some friends. If you've got a group of likeminded friends and sending things in the post is an option...try it! Sharing is caring! Not only does it feel warm and fuzzy, but you can get foreign stim toys without those eye-watering delivery times.