My elementary school age nieces and nephews know all about Silly Bandz... they're the reason I've come to learn about this latest craze among kids. Silly Bandz are brightly colored rubber bracelets, shaped in the form of various designs, that bounce back to shape when removed from your wrist. The Bandz are packaged with design themes - sports, animals, princesess, western, the alphabet, etc... - and sold in packets of 24. My 2 nieces, Elizabeth & Nora, tell me that you collect your favorite themes and trade with friends, wearing multiple bracelets at a time.
As I stood over the wrists of Elizabeth & Nora, I couldn't help but recall a time when I wore rubber bracelets - similar in concept of collecting and trading with friends - but brought about through the influence of Madonna and mid 80's fashion. Madonna's rubber bracelet "look" was all the rage in my elementary school and was part of accessorizing at age 10.