Silly Bandz are rubber bands made of silicone rubber formed into shapes including animals, objects, numbers, and letters. They are distributed by BCP Imports and are normally worn as bracelets. Silly Bandz retail in packages with 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 are often considered an iconic piece of pop culture and were especially popular in the early 2010s.
Silly Bandz come in many different 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. They made the bands in cute animal shapes to encourage sustainability by discouraging people from treating the rubber bands as disposable. Sold under the brand name Animal Rubber Bands, they won the Best Design award at the 2003 Japanese National Competition. 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.
Robert Croak, owner of Toledo, Ohio-based BCP Imports (known for distributing the Livestrong wristbands), 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.
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