JovialJMan - Loom Band (Rainbow Loom)

Image is a screenshot of loomband.co.za. TCSA is in no way related to or endorsed by loomband.co.za or it's associates.

Odds are if you went to school at any point in your life, as strange a concept as that may seem, you likely encountered one of the many strange fads that school children begin to follow such as trading cards or spin tops. The most recent of these fads is the "Loom Band", woven elastic bands that are gracing the arms of many a school student.

Loom Bands are a craze at the moment among the younger generations which was invented one day in 2011 when Cheong Choon Ng noticed his daughters weaving elastic bands over their fingers to make bracelets. He tried to join in but found it difficult, and so made a "loom" which consisted of pins in a wooden slab, to try and help himself. His daughters were impressed with the different patterns this would allow, and thus the idea for Loom Bands was created.

Fast forward 2 years to when one store ordered 24 kits and sold them all within days. This was the start of the the craze that is Loom Bands. There are many children and younger people that are showing off their creations at school and trading them with friends. This is similar to the yo-yo, marbles and tops which were fads of earlier generations, which commonly every child in the school wanted to do it. There are so many things which can be made with these little elastic bands from bracelets to phone cases to minions, (Yes... minions).

Image taken from Pinterest

Image taken from Coolmompicks

The talk show host Jimmy Kimmel wore a whole suit made from these bands when he spoke about this craze. There are so many things about wearing such a suit that are strange though, like if you are a hairy person, you are going to go through a lot of pulling and it must be rather heavy. There was even a dress made from Loom bands which sold for $291 000 on Ebay. With the current exchange rate that is just over R3.1 Million. (That is a lot of money... You could could feed your elephant with that).

South Africa is usually about 2 years behind when it comes to some trends among the younger generations. So the fact that only after a few months the craze is already in SA, shows how much this strange thing has blown up. There are primary schools here that have just exploded with bands and you can see wrists everywhere with these bands in every shape, size and design. My sister has recently purchased some of these bands and I have finished making one so far myself, which I gave away because a friend of mine asked me to make her one, (plans to make another one is still in motion), I have to say; some kids have patience.

In the UK, there have been rogue bands which have dangerous levels of "phthalates", which can cause cancer with prolonged exposure. Since children are wearing these bands 24 hours a day for weeks, this is a rather large danger. So many of these fake bands have been found and taken off shop shelves. The UK has advised that South Africa take them off their store shelves as well, but most shops have said that their products have been bought in from reputable places which means that they are safe. (I doubt we have anything to worry about it, right?)

There was a boy that fell asleep while making a bracelet and had the bands still on his fingers which stopped the blood flow to the 2 of his fingertips. His dad checked up on him later on in the evening which is when he saw this his sons fingers had turned blue from the bands.He then quickly took a picture  to show his son in the morning and then proceeded to remove the bands. If they had been left on all night, then he might have had to get his fingers amputated depending on the damage caused. The father then also shared the photo on Facebook and warned parents of this risk. (Personally, I don't think you should do it until you fall asleep, then this risk wouldn't exist.)

I shall end on a good note though. It is very creative how many things people make with these bands. These days with babies and children playing on tablets and smartphones almost exclusively for entertainment, it is refreshing to see that there are still things that connect children together and encourage physical creativity. It is a hands on task which teaches children that, if they work hard on something, the end result will be that much better. (OddballGreg has spoken about that before.)

So if you have made any loom bands or have any opinion on them, please let us know down in the comments below, over Facebook or on Twitter. We love to hear from all of you. Any sharing of the post/blog is much appreciated and if you would like to see the newest posts as they're made then please be sure to like our official Facebook page or follow us on Twitter using the associated buttons on the bar to the left, to see them as they are published. Thank you for reading today's post and I hope you have/had an amazing day. Talk again soon.

Loom on buddies.