This morning after getting dressed I noticed a Silly Bandz bracelet on my bed that just so happened to match the color of the shirt I was wearing. I asked my son - it was his - if I could wear it today. He said no, because he wanted to take it to school and show all his friends. Fair enough. My daughter had just given it to him the day before after it was given to her by someone else.I was able to snag one from my daughter to complete my fashion ensemble.
I remember when I first saw these things. I came home one day and wondered why my daughter looked like the material girl who lived in the material world of the 1980s. And then, more strangely, I wondered why my son looked the same. They were both wearing these multi-colored bracelets on their wrists.
I was told that they are very popular with kids, who play with them and trade them.
Silly Bandz are colored silicone rubber bands twisted into the shape of letters, animals and other objects. The one I'm wearing today is a reclining sofa, or a lounge chair, or something. When you take them off your wrist they snap back into their intended shape. And they function as normal rubber bands too.
Which brings me to what I learned today. Silly Bandz were created by Robert Croak. He came up with the idea after seeing a similar product designed for Japanese offices. It appears that he may have tried to adapt the idea for use in the U.S. but they were too expensive for companies to spend on rubber bands, especially in the middle of a depression.
But at $5 for a pack of 24 rubber bands, they made for a unique and relatively inexpensive toy for kids to enjoy. Bravo Robert Croak! Twenty-cent rubber bands! A lot of people are likely scratching their heads and saying: why didn't I think of that?
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