They look like this:
We generally say no when Ellie asks for a new toy that she's seen on TV or at a friend's house. But she said they were only $2 and you could get them at Walgreens and "all" the kids at school are trading them but no one would give her one. That triggered the parental nerve that says you must not ever let your child feel left out, so Greg and I agreed that we would go to Walgreens to look at them and probably get them for her.
When she came home from school yesterday, she had a bracelet. One of the kids at school was handing them out and gave her one. We were about to head to gymnastics, so I said we'd stop at Walgreens and see what these bracelets are all about.
When we got to Walgreens, we saw two kids running into the store with their dad. They were about Ellie's age. Ellie said, "They're getting the bracelets, too." I said, "How do you know? They could be getting anything."
The moment we walked in the door, the girl behind the counter turned to us and said, "Animal Bands are right over there. We have them in two spots." How did she know?! We walked over, and those two kids and their dad were already looking through them.
I couldn't believe it. An instantaneous fad. These things didn't even exist two days ago. It's like millions of tiny convenience store executives climbed onto the pillows of every single elementary school kid on the same night and all simultaneously whispered into their ears, "You must get your parents to buy you rubber bands in the shape of animals! It's urgent! They're at Walgreens for a dollar ninety nine!"
I told Ellie she could have one pack. They come 12 bands to a pack. On the way out, I asked the checkout girl when this whole animal bands thing started. She said, "Oh, about a week and a half ago. We got a shipment of 1,000 in last week and they were gone in one day." What?? A thousand?!? If they're going to sell that much of anything to schoolchildren that quickly, it should be doses of antibiotics to quell an outbreak of the bubonic plague. Anything else is obscene.
On the way out, I noticed the sign on the door: We have ANIMAL BANDS in stock!!!!! Written just like that. With that many exclamation points. The sign gave me no choice but to feel intense relief. Thank God. THANK GOD they have animal bands.
The bad news Ellie gave me last night was that the kids in her class were no longer allowed to bring their animal bands to school. Aww...too bad. Today I turn on my computer and this is the front page news story on Yahoo News:
Silly Bandz Bracelet School Craze: School Ban
Now THAT was fast. These things went from not existing at all to appearing on the arms of every single kid in the world to being banned in two days.
6 comments:
Somebody's raking in the dough. Maybe we can put our heads together and come up with the next flash fad. Enjoyed the blog!
I think they're pretty cute. Are they useless now that the girls can't wear them to school?
Isn't it amazing! They're all over our school now, too. We haven't banned them yet, though.
I would love to come up with a fad like that. I have no clue how to make it such a phenomenon, though.
Actually, Ellie informed me later that it was just her teacher who banned them and they can still get them out at recess. And there's always the bus. So I think it's still worth it to bring them to school.
Everything sure goes a lot faster now than when we were Ellie's age!!
I followed your narrative breathlessly. I could imagine it all!
Oh, those elastic bracelets. I imagine you know that they've evolved & now come in MANY different shapes. (I've seen Carina's & Solana's.) They're traded & I imagine will continue for awhile to be a source of bargaining & competition. Maybe one day, they'll be a source of nostalgia!
So, you were right to listen to your intuitive feelings.
(I guess the way this works is you know who's responding w/out a signature?)
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