#offline retailer

[stimtoybox]

Sorry if this is weird but do you know any stores (Walmart, target, meijer etc.) that sell things that can count as stim toys ( parents won't let me go to any stim websites )

Anon, offline stores sell a surprising amount of toys that work just fine as stim toys. These sorts of toys are at least two thirds of my own stim kit/collection. The increasing availability of fidget cubes and spinners only makes this even easier!

All of the stores you mentioned will stock stimmy things, so I’ll approach this ask on a general rather than specific basis by listing the sorts of things I’ve found in dollar and department stores and where I’ve found it. You can check the tags for each store (Walmart | Target | Meijer) to see what has been posted previously on this blog. You can also check out this ask on household stim toys and this ask on classroom stim toys for some good ideas. Aussie/NZ department store K-Mart has a really fabulous range of stimmy toys, so you might like to check out our tag for toy ideas.

This list will be prefaced by the fact that I am Australian and my knowledge is based on the toys I’ve found locally (regional Victoria and Melbourne) and the content I’ve seen in other dollar, discount, department and gift shops on my travels around Australia. However, I suspect that, in Western countries at least, the content of one’s discount shop isn’t like to be that wildly different.

I’ve included components for DIY toys as well, in case you want to explore making your own toys.

Counter displays: Spinners, fidget cubes

Party Goods: Bouncy balls, jointed snakes, mini plastic slinkies, mini stress balls/sports balls, bubble blowers, hedge balls, hedge creatures.

Toys: Bouncy balls, Play-Doh (real or imitation), Kinetic Sand (real or imitation), plush/soft toy animals (as they are or turned into weighted plush), stress balls, slime, floam, bubbles, slinkies, Rubix Cubes (imitation), dice, puppets, dough cutters and moulds, marbles (for marble mazes and loops, but also for fidgeting), snake puzzles, water snakes.

Baby: Teethers, bath toys, plush animals, facewashers.

Sports: Prickle balls, inflatable sports balls, stretch bands, roller massagers.

Haircare and Makeup: Blending sponges, telephone cord bracelets, makeup brushes, makeup sponges in general.

Jewellery and Accessories: Plush/fluffy keychains, silicone necklaces and bangles, silicone wristbands, silicone keychains, beaded keychains, glitter bracelets, tassel keychains.

Stationery: Packets of keychain/split rings (for beaded pendant necklaces, tutorial forthcoming), puzzle erasers, dice.

Pets: Prickle balls, prickle rings, braided rope, rubber balls.

Cleaning: Dusters, hand mitts (weighted plush), chenille broom covers (weighted plush).

Kitchen: Jars (for glitter jars), cookie cutters (for dough and kinetic sand), textured silicone placemats/pot holders, trays (for dough and kinetic sand), bowls, spatulas, (for storage or making of dough or slime), containers (storage).

Crafts: Glitter (for glitter jars, dough and slime), glue (for glitter jars and slime), fabric (homemade marble mazes and bean bags), pom poms, plastic tub jars (for glitter jars), thread (marble mazes, bean bags and weighed plush), beads (all the fidgets and jewellery with beads).

Homewares: Essential or fragrance oils (weighted plush and bean bags), potpourri and dried lavender heads (weighted plush and bean bags), glass counters (weighted plush, fidgeting).

Groceries: Rice, beans, soup mix (all for weighted plush and bean bags).

I hope this gives you some indication, anon. There will be things I’ve forgotten. The short answer, though, is that there’s plenty of stim toys in department stores. Just take the time to wander through the aisles, if you can, because you’ll be surprised at what you might find!

- Mod K.A.

[stimtoybox]

So I don't know if this is true across all stores but, the hot topic at the mall in Ft. Wayne, IN has metallic tangle jr.s for $6 and if you buy 2, the second is 30% off. Also the store EarthMagic has surgical steel spinner rings and worry stones. Thought this might be helpful to someone.

I had a look on Hot Topic’s website, but I only got hits for Tangled merchandise, sadly, so this might an in-store only deal. Probably worth checking out if you have a store accessible to you, though, especially for folks not able to purchase online or who can’t afford the shipping.

I also couldn’t find anything more than a shopping centre listing for Earth Magic. (The internet search gods are not being helpful today.) But I’m sure there’ll be another stimmer amongst us who finds these offline sources helpful, anon!

Thank you so much for sharing with us!

- Mod K.A.

[stimtoybox]

Hot topic has fidget cubes and fidget spinners! I got some today at the mall. They also had spinners at a kiosk and in Newburry comics but that store is only in New England as far as I know.

Thank you so much for letting us know, @hufflepuff-ron! I really love collecting sources for stim toys!

Hot Topic’s website has the spinner for $7.42 USD and the gidget widget (fidget cube) for $9.67 USD.

I know there’s drawbacks to having these stim toys readily available, but I really do love how there’s an increasing amount of store locations and price points, online and off, making these things accessible to the majority of stimmers. I still find that, after not knowing where to find things for so long, incredibly fabulous!

- Mod K.A.

[stimtoybox]

I just wanted to add to the planet putty submission that in Australia this identical putty, and one by the same brand in a round, planet shaped container, can definitely be bought at Mr Toy's Toyworld. (They sell a pretty wide range of putties and slimes actually, its great). It costs about $4 from there. Also, for Brisbane locals, this putty and a heap of other similar ones can be purchased from the Queensland Museum. I think it's slightly more expensive there, like $6

Thank you so much for this fabulous ask, @bunnysbonesandroses! I’m so glad there’s more sources for putties here in Australia - I’ve really only run into cheap dollar shop-type slimes (which I find to be watery and unpleasant) and an off-brand Thinking Putty called Ultra Putty (that I keep meaning to review) that I got from my local Toyworld. I’m sure there’s more options for good putties around, but I just haven’t found many myself.

(I bought mine long before I started this blog, so I keep forgetting to photograph and review my tins. I really need to, because I love my Ultra Putty. It comes in metallic colours, too, like the branded Thinking Putty, and it’s so stretchy. Nothing stretches like the Ultra Putty, not even homemade slime.)

We’ve got a few posts on Planet Putty now, so I’ll do the easy option of linking to the tag for those wanting to check out reviews and local sources. The feedback on this has been quite mixed, so folks might want to read through all the posts before deciding if Planet Putty is the product for them.

Mr Toy’s Toyworld locations can be found here, for our Queensland followers. I found a link to the Planet Putty ($4.99 AUD) and a colour-changing-with-LED light putty ($9.99 AUD) that looks fun. Please note that they charge $12 AUD flat rate shipping in Australia, so if you’re going to buy online, buy all the things at once!

(Plus there’s a few different cheaper dollar-store-type putty eggs, but I’ll be honest and admit that I tend to stay away from these now, because everything I’ve bought previously hasn’t been nice enough to keep. I’d rather spend more money on a higher quality putty or slime, as it tends to be nicer.)

I checked the Queensland Museum’s webstore, but there’s almost nothing in their online store (which is pretty normal) so I think that’s more an offline source, but I’m always glad to collect those, too!

Again, thank you so much!

[stimtoybox]

For anyone in the Ohio/PA/Michigan/Wisconsin area looking to buy a knockoff fidget cube to see if it works for them before they commit to the original, the craft store Pat Catan's sells them for about $5. Picked one up myself today (very wary about buying a $20 cube I may not use frequently to stim) and it's a decent little thing for the price. Personally not sure if I like it yet, though the clicking noise satisfies, but it's a good price for those wanting a trial one and wary of eBay.

Thank you so much, anon! That’s really good to know, because yes, while I like to support the creator of things where I can, $20 USD is a lot of money to spend on a toy if you’re unsure how well it might work for you. (I can’t afford to spend that on a toy, use it once and stuff it in a drawer. I just can’t.) There’s plenty of imitations available on eBay, yes, but you don’t get to look at them first, and even looking at an item in package can tell you something about its quality, information you don’t get in online purchases.

It also, more importantly, gives people who cannot purchase online access to this toy, because we can’t forget that minors in particular might not be able to access an offline store on their own due to parents controlling finances - but can go to a local craft shop by themselves or with friends. Even if they can purchase online, they might have non-stim-accepting parents who are very curious/interfering when it comes to mail delivery. I’m adult living with my parents and I’m still sometimes having to lie, hide or disguise mail deliveries!

So thank you, because I really love collecting offline sources of toys. It’s so important. Actually, I should start tagging for this...

[stimtoybox]

Pat Catan's anon again; I took a solid look at my cube; it's pretty sturdy for the price so definitely good for taking a trial run with! They also had hand spinners for $5 as well, again pretty sturdy. I'll submit a review for each when I get a chance!

Please do, anon! Please! The more and more these items are becoming available (especially spinners and fidget cubes), the more important reviews from users are, because it’s so hard to know if that affordable item is worth your money in terms of how long it lasts (if you have to replace it five times a year, the cheaper cost isn’t really worth it). So the more reviews we have about items purchased from different stores, the better off the community is!

If this blog is about anything, I think, it’s about helping stimmers make more informed choices, and I am so grateful so many people are helping us do just that.

- Mod K.A.