Animal Rubber Bracelets

Jonah and his buddies are completely obsessed with Silly Bandz, which are rubber bracelets that spring into animal shapes. They get them from the video game store and from 7-11 for a few bucks and stack them up their wrists. They trade them after school. Jonah and other tweens around the country are completely obsessed, until the next dumb craze starts up next month.

There are a couple different companies that sell them, but as Steve learned from the clerk in the video game store, both companies are owned by some dude in Oklahoma who punches them out of rubber that gets from China. He's made millions.

Why can't I think of something like this?

Comments

[Anjali]

I'm drowning in these things, too!!!

[MH]

I saw them in the store for the first time this weekend. They were $2 at weird discount store that sells greeting cards for $.39 (I have send three different Mother's Day cards, so I go cheap) and, hopefully just this once because somebody forgot to fix the dog, puppies.

[Wendy]

Thank you! Now I can anticipate the latest tween craze and prepare my daughter so she is in the vanguard. :) These things are slow to get to New England.

[bj]

Oh my. I've never heard of these. I'd have guessed maybe it's a tween thing, and mine is to yet a tween, except that A's kids are younger than mine (I think).

I'll have to ask my pre-tween about them. But, I don't think I'll facilitate her being on the vanguard of this trend. Mind you, the girl doesn't like to being on rends. I see her as the one who will *try* to dress differently than everyone else (and, probably fail, and incorporate some other tween trend).

[Lisa V]

My eight year-old son loves them, but can't wear them anymore because they distract him so much in class that his teacher asked me to hide them.

For summer break, he can have them back.

[Wendy]

Hm, I wonder if they would be too distracting for my 7yo or if they would be a good fidget toy for him.

About 2-3 years ago, my daughter started cutting erasers into something she and her friends called "Nibblers." It became a bit of a craze in her school, and then a year or two later, Japanese erasers became big. Another missed opportunity! I guess the lesson is Never Underestimate Tweens' Interest in Rubber Toys.

[bj]

Now, I'm wondering if the expensive nerd school that we're sending our kids to is actually protecting them from rubber toys.

My son has this: buckyballs: http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/science/bbe8/. If your son can be trusted not to swallow them (huge, major hazard, and not just for choking, because they can destroy your innards), I find them to be a great fidget toy.

[MH]

because they can destroy your innards

Dragging us back to the KFC Double Down again?

[Suze]

I gave my mother some of those bracelets about two years ago. She loved them. If you ever want to cure Jonah of his addiction let me know. Nothing kills a tween trend faster than the sight of a 69-year-old woman wearing it.