Rubber Band Bracelets Have Children by the Wrist

There's a fashion craze afoot in The Caldwells, but it's actually on another part of the children's anatomies. Their wrists are turning red, blue, purple, yellow and even more colors.

It's nothing serious, just curious.

The cause? Rubber bands. Not just any bands—wacky bands, crazy bands and animal bands—formally known as Sillybandz, manufactured by Brainchild Products, LLC.

About two inches in diameter, the thin bracelets are spreading like wildfire, seemingly hopping from arm to arm.

Nobody between the ages of 4 and 12 is immune.

A Rhino on Your Wrist

After close inspection, it's clear their appeal is tri-fold. In addition to being festive in appearance (some of the hues are evocative of the "I Want My MTV" era), when not stretched out, each and every band has the shape of an animal or object.

A blue one might be a star, a yellow one a giraffe. When worn, no one can tell what shape the band is, but the wearer knows. Kids also put them on and take them off frequently to show each other what they've got: "I have a dinosaur!"

More is More

Like potato chips, one "silly band" is never enough. Even the littlest arms have been spotted sporting up to a dozen of the things, their wrists a plastic rainbow of in-the-know of what's hot.

It's Easy to Join

That's the third reason why the craze has caught on so fast—they're cheap.

A pack of 12 currently averages $2.99. Each pack carries a certain theme like "rock bands" that are shaped into musical instruments. For less than $20, children can be up to their elbows in the most popular trend right now and even have some left over to leave around the house.

That's a much lower buy-in cost than the last Mario game for Nintendo Wii.

Walgreens in West Caldwell has become a big supplier of the bands, and has them on display right next to the check-out stand. The unassuming packages have sort of an edict on the front: "use 'em, stretch 'em and collect 'em—they never go out of shape!"

Service Clerk Mike Manca laughed, marveling at the fad, and said that even his own older kids have them. At the store, he said that "for a while, we couldn't even get them [back in stock]. We finally got them back, and they are selling like crazy."

One odd variety pack that the store has sold included religious objects, which someone may have purchased unknowingly: "They ended up being returned," Manca said.

It's the same story at 7-Eleven, where the bands at the long-standing West Caldwell convenience store are as cool as the Slurpees.

They're displayed at kidde height on a shelf near the register and the selection is impressive; there are "doggie" bands, "wacky" ones and even one simply called "things." Each pack there also sells for $2.99.

According to one 7-Eleven employee, the "wacky" bands are "pretty hot right now" with a selection that includes kangaroos, pelicans and swans.

Controversy?

Lava lamps are toxic if they break; heavy metal music is the work of the devil. Every trend needs some negativity, right?

Word is some schools have forbid students from wearing the bands, since discussions and trading of them is a distraction in class.

However, it hasn't been an issue at every school.

"To be quite honest, I haven't even noticed them ... that's usually a good thing, because if I was made aware, there would probably be an issue involved," said Chris Checchetto, principal of Gould School.

Grandview School Principal Michael Stefanelli said, "many of the students are wearing the bracelets," and "up to this point, I have not had any issues with children trading them."

With no apparent downside, these bracelets seem to be just a simple self-expression and some fun that will soon become tomorrow's hula hoop, Rubik's Cube or POGs.