Silly Bandz are gathering momentum in the world of kid’s trends. These animal bracelets have been around for about 2 years, and seem to show no sign of stopping as they take over kid’s wrists everywhere. They are small, cheap, and collectible which is the perfect storm for a new trend, but will it stick around longer than other similar fads, or does it have the power to pass the test of time and the fickle and fleeting tastes of children and young adults.
What Are Silly Bandz Made Of?
Silly Bandz are made of silicone rubber and they come in the shape of animals and other objects. They are worn on the wrist, like any other rubber bracelet, but when removed they spring back into shape. These silly bands come in a ton of different shapes, and the stable of available shapes is growing on a constant basis. They continue to add generic shapes and objects to the collection. Such objects include letters of the alphabet, princess, various collections of rubber band bracelets shaped like animals, baseball, beach objects, fantasy images, and the list continues. Moreover, they continue to expand their list of licensing agreements so they can produce these bands in a variety of trademarked shapes, including your favorite cartoon characters, sports teams, and other familiar logos.
Who Invented Silly Bandz?
Silly Bandz is the brainchild of Rob Croak, who, coincidentally enough, is the CEO of BrainChild Products LLC, and BCP Imports LLC. These companies are based in Toledo Ohio, and are responsible for bringing you these collectible little wristbands as well as other silicone products. It’s no doubt that Croak, as well as the employees involved in the Silly Bandz portion of their business hope this will be the beginning of a new long-lasting trend, but the odds are unfortunately stacked against them. Let’s take a walk down memory lane for a moment, to see why…
Wrist-related fads are nothing new. This is only the latest in a series of “here today, gone tomorrow” accessories stemming way back into the mid 80′s. It all started with Swatch watches. These rather inexpensive time-pieces were often worn two, three, even 5 at a time. The reason for this is unknown. Perhaps those who wore them lived jet-setting lifestyles and were required to keep track of the time in many time zones. That would make the use of a Swatch watch as a hair band completely inexplicable though, and incorporating them into clothing was an unforgivable fashion faux pas. Moving on from there you have slap bracelets. The concept was simple enough; a piece of razor sharp metal that could be straightened, and then slapped on the wrist, or any other cylindrical surface, which would cause it to wrap around in a glorious display of florescent camouflage, bright polka dots, or plaid. When people started to realize how dangerous it is to violently swing sharp metal at their body parts, this fad quickly died. More recently you have “awareness bands” which peaked in popularity in the mid 2000′s along with awareness magnets. You could easily tell how charitable a person was by multiplying how many wristbands a person wore multiplied by how many awareness magnets they had, and dividing by four. Those who had none of either were considered cruel, insensitive, and heartless. Finally, there was the scandalous jelly bracelets which were rumored to be worn by teens who would play a game that involved snatching these bracelets from each other’s wrists. Each color supposedly designated a certain “favor” that would have to be done to the snatcher by the snatchee. This trend has faded along with the others, and leaves us at our latest wrist fashion trend – Silly Bandz.
[Update: Silly Bandz just announced Silly Slapz Slap Watches on this blog post. This wrist trend has truly come full circle.]
Right now, Silly Bandz are still gaining steam, and show no signs of slowing down any time soon. The company continues to release new related products, like the Sillybandz necklace, Silly Pailz, and bands that change color in the sun, but it’s a tricky balance between releasing products at a rate that people can accept and enjoy, and vomiting out anything they think might hit, and in the process “jumping the shark” and making themselves trite. One problem they may face is copycat companies doing that for them.
They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and that is no exception here. As the business of rubber band animals booms, new companies are following their lead and popping up every day. According to this USA Today article, River Forever Collectibles has already snagged the rights to produce MLB and Disney related bands, and this is just one of many companies getting in on the act. It’s at this point, that the market could (and maybe already has) become flooded with imitators. Right now there’s such a large demand for this product that this isn’t really a concern, but as consumer interest wanes, it’s going to become more difficult for Silly Bandz to stand out, and continue to pull in the attention of kids and young adults.
Where To Buy Silly Bandz
You can find Silly Bandz just about everywhere these days, from toy stores to the corner store – though you must beware of low-quality imitators. Probably the best place to buy Silly Bandz is Amazon.com
As this market heats up, it’ll be interesting to see where Silly Bandz takes the business of silicone bracelet animals. Can they withstand the test of time, and buck the trend of previous wrist-based fads, or will they fall by the wayside like so many before them? We shall see.