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Retailers Can't Get Enough Brand Bandz To Meet Kids' Demands

  • Ad Age, Thursday, May 13, 2010 10:44 AM
Beth Snyder Bulik tracks the demand for arms bands such as Silly Bandz, ZanyBandz and Crazy Bandz and finds that the craze is "100% viral," fueled by social media and playground one-upmanship.

Brainchild's Silly Bandz claims to be the creator of the themed packs of the thin silicone bands that kids wear up their arms and trade among themselves, Snyder Bulik writes. Its Facebook page has more than 163,000 followers. Most of the manufacturer's band sets are generic shapes with themed packages such as animals, dinosaurs or sports. But Forever Collectibles' Logo Bandz is licensing names from entertainment and sports properties such as the New York Yankees.

"It's akin to what happened with Beanie Babies and Webkinz across our stores," says a Hallmark spokeswoman, who says the 390 corporate-owned Hallmark Gold Crown stores and independent retailers are having difficulty keeping Silly Bandz in stock.

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