Silly Bandz
Silly Bandz is the name of a brand of silicone - rubber bands are produced in many different forms (beings, objects, letters). The ribbons are designed as toys as well as barter and collector's items for children and are worn as bracelets .
Silly Bandz was launched in the United States in November 2008 by BCP Imports (Brainchild Products). Since then, various other manufacturers have been selling very similar products under other names (Zanybandz, Googly Bands, Funky Bandz, Trendy Bandyz, Funny Bands, Lucky Bands etc.). Silly Bandz and other brands such as B. Crazy Bandz are now also available in Germany.
Product idea and story
The toy is produced in a wide variety of designs, shapes and colors. It can be used like an ordinary rubber band. American children often wear many straps on their wrists at the same time and exchange them with other children such as trading cards or other collectibles.
The business idea goes back to Robert J. Croak, who saw rubber bands in the shape of animals at a trade fair in China around 2007. The Japanese manufacturer of these tapes had already been awarded a designer prize and has also been selling them to a small extent in the USA since 2002. Croak came up with the idea of making the ribbons in a large number of shapes and colors and offering them to children who would collect them and trade them like Pokémon cards . In the summer of 2008, he began promoting the tapes on his website, Facebook and YouTube . In this way he was able to successfully place his product - as a " fad " - on the market. In the US, the tapes are sold in bags of 24 for around $ 4.95.
The tapes are now banned in many American schools because they distract children from class.
See also
Web links
- Silly Bandz website of the manufacturer
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Man Behind the Bandz Bloomberg Businessweek, June 10, 2010
- ^ Silly Bandz, the Bracelets That Spring Off Shelves New York Times, April 16, 2010