Multicoloured rubber bands – also known as loom bands – which can be woven into bracelets are the biggest playground trend and are flying off the shelves of Derby retailers.
HANDBAGS, horses and iPhone decorations are just some of the whacky creations children are making using colourful rubber bands.
Loom bands, as they are known, have taken off in a big way children across Derbyshire are going loopy for them.
Using a special plastic hook called a loom, the bands can be moulded and shaped into an array of friendship bracelets and other quirky designs – even the most exquisite in just a matter of minutes.
And retailers in Derby have said it is "by far the biggest craze" they have ever seen.
Steven Smith, manager at The Entertainer store at Intu Derby, said: "The popularity of the loom bands has been unbelievable.
"I've worked in the toy industry for years and have never known anything like it, it's by far the biggest craze I've seen."
Among those who have become hooked on the craze are sisters Lexi Cardwell, 10, and Maddison Thacker, seven. The pupils at Cotmanhay Infant and Junior Schools, in Ilkeston, spend their playtime making bracelets and rings out of loom bands for their friends.
And when they return home, they follow instructional YouTube videos online to teach themselves how to create even more designs.
Mum Sallianne Thacker, of Bridge Street, in Ilkeston, said: "The trend has gone mental! All the parents at school are buying them for their children. People are making giraffes, horses and lots of other things. It's amazing what people can do.
"The girls have made an ice-cream as well as fishtail plait bracelets and rings, too. They are coming home from school and are saying they want to have a go at all of these new designs. There are glitter bands, scented, metallic – there is so much choice. The girls are very creative so this is something they love."
Lexi says the loom bands are easy to create patterns with.
She said: "I've got lots of different colours and I like making rings and bracelets the most. One day everybody came into school with lots of loom bands. I said 'wow, I'm going to get my mummy to get me some!'"
Rainbow Loom – the first brand of loom bands to be created – was invented in 2011 by mechanical engineering graduate Cheong Choon Ng of Novi, of Michigan. He created a plastic toy loom used to weave colourful rubber bands into bracelets and charms. Now the trend has exploded in the UK, with many retailers seeing stock fly off the shelves as soon as it comes in.
Toy Planet, in Intu Derby, is among shops selling the products. Graham Hancock, who works at the store, said: "Novi wanted to create something for his children and decided to use rubber bands. He showed it to his family and they loved it.
"Last summer, it really kicked off in America. From a family setting then to mass production, people couldn't get enough."
Graham says Midco Toy Planet, which has stores in Derby and Burton, was the first company in the UK to bring in the rubber bands.
He said: "I guess it is a bit of a claim to fame! At first it did not really take off. At the beginning of this year, we started to get a steady increase.
"This year, a UK version, called Loom Twister, was released – which is cheaper. Loom Twister is more ideal for children who are going on a plane, it's more for travelling really. We have over 50 different bags."
Toy Planet sells Rainbow Loom bags of bracelets for £3.99 and a starter pack for £14.99. It also sells a Loom Twister starter pack for £3.99 and refill bags for £1. A Loom Twister box, including 2,000 loom bands, was available for £12.99, a box of 10,000 bands for £14.99.
Graham said: "Children are using different colours to make different patterns. They are making much more complicated bands, ones that are thicker or wider, using a lot more bands.
"It's not just bracelets that children are making; they are making everything from handbags, little people and accessories."
"The key is practice, practice, practice. They are teaching themselves from videos online as well as showing each other in the playground.
"The initial target age range was between eight and 12 years but the bands are being worn and made by both boys and girls of all ages and even adults. It's amazing how big the age range is now.
"Girls like to make jewellery and accessories but the range appeals to boys too, as there are camouflage-coloured bands."
He said: "The appeal is that there are so many different colours and there is no limit on what you can make.
"Some trends come and go because there is only one way to play with them – kids get into it, they understand it then get bored – but with loom bands children are constantly finding new ways to make new things. To make a simple bracelet you need about 20 bands but if you want to make something more complicated then you need about 100."
Leisa Bramwell, assistant store manager, at The Works, in Intu Derby, which is also selling the toy, said: "The loom bands are selling out as quickly as we get them in! Adults as well as children are buying them so they're appealing to people of all ages. I think it's the simplicity of them which has made them so popular and the versatility to create so many different items.
"People have been getting really creative, making items like phone cases, headbands, key-rings – the list is endless!"
Steven Smith, store manager, The Entertainer said the bands "really capture children's imagination, allowing them to unleash their creativity."
He said: "The bands are aimed at ages five plus but teenagers and adults are also buying them – we have members of staff here wearing the bands.
"We have an upload feature on our website and have had some great creations – from animals to i-phone cases.
"I don't see the craze dying down anytime soon and expect it will continue throughout the school holidays."
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