The simplest things can be the most-wanted items by children. Rubber bands, for example. That’s right. If you have a tween kid, odds are you already know that colorful, silicone bracelets are the latest craze among girls – and boys.
Silly Bandz is the name of the product. These stretchy accessories come in all different shapes, including animals, princesses, guitars and the alphabet. Children wear them, collect them and trade them day after day.
Some kids wear different shapes each day, while others cover their arms with all of their bracelets every day. When they take the Bandz off of their wrists, the rubbery bracelets form back into their original shape. Kids trade zoo animals for dinosaurs and sea creatures for baseball bats.
CBS Evening News, ABC News and Good Morning America recently featured the fad. It’s popped up this year in elementary and middle schools. In fact, they’re so popular that some schools are even banning them due to their distraction factor.
And the bracelets aren’t just a hit with the girls, either. The Silly Bandz website features weekly photos of kids wearing the wristlets, and many of them are boys. The baseball, dinosaur and rockband Bandz are creeping up boys’ forearms just as much as the princess, pets and flower bracelets are on the girls!
Brainchild Products is the creator of Silly Bandz. They come in packages of six to 48 bands. Toys ‘R’ Us carries 48-piece sets for $10.99. Local Walgreens have packages of six or eight for $2.99, or two packages for $5. Hot Topic sells a 12-pack for $6. The Silly Bandz website also sells them at $4.95 for 24 bracelets.
