| Founded | 2008 |
|---|---|
| Products | Silicone bracelets |
Silly Bandz are rubber bands made of silicone rubber formed into shapes including animals, objects, numbers, and letters. They are normally worn as bracelets. Silly Bandz retail in packages with select themes, such as princesses or animals, and fashion accessories. Similarly shaped silicone bands are also available under other brand names from a variety of companies. Silly Bandz were especially popular in the early 2010s.
Silly Bandz come in a variety of shapes and colors. On a wrist, they function like a regular bracelet, and when taken off they revert to their original shape. They are often worn many at a time and are traded like other collectibles. They can also be used for their original intent—as a regular rubber band.
The original shaped silicone rubber bands were created in 2002 by the Japanese design team Passkey Design, Yumiko Ohashi, and Masonar Haneda. [1] [2] They made the bands in cute animal shapes to encourage sustainability by discouraging people from treating the rubber bands as disposable. [3] [2] Sold under the brand name Animal Rubber Bands, they won the Best Design award at the 2003 Japanese National Competition. [2] These bands were not widely distributed in the United States, but in 2005 they were local hits in Guilford, Connecticut and at the Design Store at the New York City Museum of Modern Art. [4]
Robert Croak, owner of Toledo, Ohio-based BCP Imports (known for distributing the Livestrong wristbands [5] ), encountered the bands on a business trip and decided to re-purpose them as a toy by making them larger and thicker, and marketing them as a kids' fashion accessory. [6]
The first Silly Bandz sets were sold online in November 2008. [7] In early 2009, Learning Express in Birmingham, Alabama became the first retail store to stock Silly Bandz. [8] By fall they were a strong seller, and became widespread across the Southern United States. Popularity began to move up the East coast of the United States, reaching New Jersey, Long Island, and Staten Island in November the same year. [9]
Silly Bandz are sold in packages with different themes, including princesses and animals. [9] In August 2010, Silly Bandz sold their product in thousands of stores across the U.S. and Canada. In September 2010, Quiznos had Silly Bandz in their kids meal. [10] Seven spots on Amazon's April 22 list of best-selling toys and games were occupied by the bracelets. By December, Sillybandz controlled the top 25 list of toys for Amazon.com [11] One December 2010 article said that brands like Logo Bandz, Cool Bandz, Zany Bandz and Googly Bandz were easier to find than Silly Bandz. [12] In late 2010 and 2011, Silly Bandz released themed packs in collaboration with celebrities like Justin Bieber and Kim Kardashian. [13] [14] In late 2011, Zoo Games released video games based on Silly Bandz for Nintendo DS and iPhone. [15] [16] In spring and summer 2011 Winter's brand chocolates of Peru included Silly Bandz, marketed in South America as Animaligas, in displays and packages of Chin Chin chocolates. [17]
Seth McGowan, a toy industry analyst for Needham & Company, said it is refreshing that the "lowest of technologies" is also the one that is the most appealing, to children. [9] One parent attributed the toy's success to their being easily lost and broken, and said that "If your friend has the princess kind, then you have to have the princess kind, too." [9] Silly Bandz were banned in many classrooms for being too distracting, with students trading them with each other during class. [18] [19] There have been incidents where children have cut off circulation by extending several Silly Bandz up their arms, in some cases causing serious injuries. [20] [21]
Silly Putty is a toy containing silicone polymers that have unusual physical properties. It bounces, but it breaks when given a sharp blow, and it can also flow like a liquid. It contains viscoelastic liquid silicones, a type of non-Newtonian fluid, which makes it act as a viscous liquid over a long time period but as an elastic solid over a short time period. It was originally created during research into potential rubber substitutes for use by the United States in World War II.
A silicone or polysiloxane is a polymer made up of siloxane (−R2Si−O−SiR2−, where R = organic group). They are typically colorless oils or rubber-like substances. Silicones are used in sealants, adhesives, lubricants, medicine, cooking utensils, thermal insulation, and electrical insulation. Some common forms include silicone oil, silicone grease, silicone rubber, silicone resin, and silicone caulk.
A rubber stamp is an image or pattern that has been carved, molded, laser engraved, or vulcanized onto a sheet of rubber. Rubber stamping, also called stamping, is a craft in which some type of ink made of dye or pigment is applied to a rubber stamp, and used to make decorative images on some media, such as paper or fabric.
A bracelet is an article of jewellery that is worn around the wrist. Bracelets may serve different uses, such as being worn as an ornament. When worn as ornaments, bracelets may have a supportive function to hold other items of decoration, such as charms. Medical and identity information are marked on some bracelets, such as allergy bracelets, hospital patient-identification tags, and bracelet tags for newborn babies. Bracelets may be worn to signify a certain phenomenon, such as breast cancer awareness, or for religious/cultural purposes.
Wristbands are encircling strips worn on the wrist or lower forearm. The term may refer to a bracelet-like band, similar to that of a wristwatch, to the cuff or other part of a sleeve that covers the wrist, or decorative or functional bands worn on the wrist for many different reasons. Wristbands are often worn and used similarly to event passes such as lanyards to information or allow people entry to events. These wristbands are made from loops of plastic that are placed around the wrist and are used for identification purposes.
A slap bracelet is a bracelet invented by Wisconsin teacher Stuart Anders in 1983, sold originally under the brand name of "Slap Wrap". Consisting of layered, flexible stainless steel bistable spring bands sealed within a fabric, silicone, or plastic cover, it can snap around a wrist when slapped on it with some force. It can have many different colours and/or designs.
A charm bracelet is a type of bracelet which carries personal jewelled ornaments or "charms", such as decorative pendants or trinkets. The decorative charms usually carry personal or sentimental attachment by the owner.
James Gilbert E. Wright was a Scottish-born inventor, researcher and chemical engineer at General Electric who invented Silly Putty in 1943 while looking for a replacement for rubber.
Silly String is a toy of flexible, sometimes brightly colored, plastic string propelled as a stream of liquid from an aerosol can. The solvent in the string quickly evaporates in mid-air, creating a continuous strand. Silly String is often used during weddings, birthday parties, carnivals and other festive occasions, and has also been used by the US military to detect tripwires.
Gel bracelets are a type of wristband often made from silicone.
An Italian Charm bracelet, also known in the US as a Nomination bracelet, is a series of individual modular links hooked together on a stretchy band to form a single charm bracelet. A typical Italian charm bracelet comprises eighteen charm links. Each link features a charming face soldered onto the actual charm link.
A friendship bracelet is a decorative bracelet given by one person to another as a symbol of friendship. Friendship bracelets are often handmade, usually of embroidery floss or thread and are a type of macramé. There are various styles and patterns, but most are based on the same simple half-hitch knot. They resemble a friendship that is strong and everlasting.
The Duncan Toys Company is an American toy manufacturer based in Middlefield, Ohio. The company was founded in 1929 by Donald F. Duncan Sr. and purchased the Flores Yo-Yo Company from Pedro Flores, who brought the yo-yo to the United States from the Philippines. Duncan popularized the yo-yo through competitions that spread throughout the country, publicized in his publications by William Randolph Hearst in exchange for a requirement that contestants had to sell subscriptions to Hearst newspapers as a condition of entry. In 1965, a federal court ruled that Duncan did not have exclusive rights to the word "yo-yo" because the word had become a part of common speech. In 1968, Duncan Toys became a division of Flambeau.
The World Series of Poker (WSOP) bracelet is considered the most coveted non-monetary prize a poker player can win. Since 1976, a bracelet has been awarded to the winner of every event at the annual WSOP. Even if the victory occurred before 1976, WSOP championships are now counted as "bracelets". During the first years of the WSOP, only a handful of bracelets were awarded each year. In 1990, there were only 14 bracelet events. By 2000, that number increased to 24. As the popularity of poker has increased during the 2000s, the number of events has likewise increased. In 2011, 58 bracelets were awarded at the WSOP, seven at the World Series of Poker Europe (WSOPE), and one to the WSOP National Circuit Champion. This brought the total number of bracelets awarded up to 959. Five additional bracelets were awarded for the first time in April 2013 at the inaugural World Series of Poker Asia-Pacific in Melbourne, Australia. In 2017, 74 bracelets were awarded at the WSOP and an additional 11 will be awarded at the WSOPE in Czech Republic.
The Dacian bracelets are bracelets associated with the ancient people known as the Dacians, a distinct branch of the Thracians. These bracelets were used as ornaments, currency, high rank insignia and votive offerings Their ornamentations consist of many elaborate regionally distinct styles. Bracelets of various types were worn by Dacians, but the most characteristic piece of their jewelry was the large multi-spiral bracelets; engraved with palmettes towards the ends and terminating in the shape of an animal head, usually that of a snake.
A hologram bracelet or energy bracelet is a small rubber wristband supposedly fitted with a hologram. Manufacturers have said that the holograms supposedly "optimise the natural flow of energy around the body," and, "improve an athlete's strength, balance and flexibility". Only anecdotal evidence supports these claims and tests performed by the Australian Skeptics, the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, and the RMIT's School of Health Sciences have been unable to identify any effect on performance.
Reminderband Inc. is an American international company that manufactures and sells customized silicone wristbands and bracelets for multiple markets, including healthcare, entertainment/recreation, law enforcement, and more. With its headquarters in Logan, Utah, Reminderband also has a logistics and development center in Hong Kong.
Power Balance is the original brand of hologram bracelets claimed by its manufacturers and vendors to use "holographic technology" to "resonate with and respond to the natural energy field of the body" to increase athletic performance. Numerous independent studies of the device have found it to be no more effective than placebo for enhancing athletic performance. As a result, in 2010, the Australian distributor, Power Balance Australia Pty Ltd, was forced by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to retract any previous claims.
Rainbow Loom is a plastic tool used to weave colorful rubber and plastic bands into decorative items such as bracelets and charms. It was invented in 2010 by Cheong Choon Ng in Novi, Michigan.
Lego DOTS is a Lego theme based on multiple shapes and colourful tiles, with 1×1 elements intended to decorate the products. These include wearable wristbands and decorative room objects that can be individually customised. The theme includes over 30 mood tiles including facial expressions, a music note, a cosmic planet, star night and paw print. The theme was first introduced in March 2020. In January 2023, The Lego Group announced Lego DOTS will be discontinued in December 2023.
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