Gettin' Silly with the Silly Bandz!

Also called Shaped Bands, Shaped Bracelet Bands, and Silly Bands (note:  no "Z"), these colorful bits of silicone are soft, durable, and retain their shapes.  This is a collecting trend just starting to sweep the country.  Popular on the east coast and in the southern states for more than a year, Silly Bandz are just now catching the interest of midwest trendsetters.  And once they get started, kids are taking their collections very seriously.  So what are they exactly?  Think rubber bands--  only not as stretchy.  Think plastic jelly bracelets, only not boringly round!  Add bright colors and shapes that appeal to youngsters, and suddenly you have instant coolness on kid-wrists all across the country.  Because they're inexpensive and sold in packs of 12 or more, they're an easy collection to start.  And to store.  The bands encompass a wide variety of shapes from wild animals to vehicles to sheriff badges to sports figures.  Some kids are collecting based on their interests.  Others are staying focused on "rare" or unusual shapes.  And some are just going for quantity--  the more the merrier!

Some school districts are being forced to take them seriously, too--  turns out the shaped bands are so distracting they've been banned in some school districts.  Thankfully, we're all on summer break so no worries about getting teachers and principals all in a twist about these.  However, there are concerns about kids wearing bands that are too tight for their wrists and cutting off circulation.  While this isn't a serious concern if the kiddo is only wearing them for a short period of time,  we do hear of kids who refuse to take them off--  which could create a problem.  So grown-ups?  Check to make sure the bands aren't restricting blood flow.

And just for giggles?  Check out this ultra-silly gangsta rap about Silly Bandz!



Collecting the bands already? Have gobs to show off? Duplicates to trade? Watch this space for our announcement of our Silly Bandz & Japanese Eraser Trading Parties! We'll also be sending out an email invite, so make sure you're on our email list!