Seniors Eddie Zavala and Rafael Martinez roam the halls during fourth block as they wait for their ride home. They take a seat at the end of the staircase closest to the cafeteria and begin joking about typical guy topics. Zavala starts to fiddle with the thin silicone bands hugging his wrists. He pulls off a black band formed in the shape of a Spiderman symbol and suddenly argues to Martinez how Spiderman could easily defeat Iron Man.

Zavala is one of the many high school students participating in the latest Silly Bandz trend. He started wearing them at the end of his junior year when he received a blue giraffe from one of his best friends. Unlike some students who have a rainbow of the bands crawling up their arms, Zavala only wears four, each of which with meaning behind them.

“I got some of them [Silly Bandz] from friends, so they have some sentimental value,” he said.

Zavala constantly wears two bands that remind him of his childhood, an orange Tasmanian devil from the classic cartoon show and a logo of his favorite superhero, Spiderman.

“I watched Looney Toons growing up. They’ve always been something special to me,” Zavala said. “They take me back to when I was a youngster.”

Silly Bandz were originally created in 2002 by a Japanese design team to serve as an office product. Robert Croak, known for dispersing the Livestrong bands, encountered the bracelets on a business trip and decided to market them as a fashion accessory for children. By fall of 2009 Silly Bandz had spread like a plague across the Southern U.S., becoming a popular trend among young kids, high school students and even parents.

Despite all the popularity and fuss, social studies teacher, Dondrinea Williams, believes Silly Bandz cause a distraction and should stay on the playgrounds of elementary schools.

“I don’t like them, because they’re juvenile.” Williams said. “Why would you want to do something a third grader is doing?”

According to Williams, several elementary and middle schools have prohibited Silly Bandz due to the disruption they create. Regardless of their harmless and innocent appearance, young children risk health hazards when they wear them for an extended period of time. The bracelets can cause blood clots and restrict blood flow as well as other dangers.

“I don’t like to cut the circulation of blood running through my arms. I honestly feel that having too much is just entirely stupid, because there’s no need for it,” Zavala said. “When you go overboard with them, it just becomes a collection.”

Risky or not, Silly Bandz continue to make their way onto the arms of all age groups. Dozens of companies have started creating off brand versions of Silly Bandz, making them glitter, glow in the dark or tie-dye. Senior Priscilla Vorsino began wearing the bracelets during the summer and now owns a great amount of them.
“I’m a little kid at heart and I think they’re cute,” Vorsino said. “If I see a package I like then I’ll buy them.”