On the off chance that you haven’t heard, Silly Bandz are all the rage with kids these days. We were actually first introduced to the Silly Bandz craze by our preschool and 2nd grade sons this past school year, and they’ve since swept the nation.
While our kids’ obsession has cooled off a bit this summer, I fully it expect things to ramp up again when they head back to school. In fact, many schools have banned Silly Bandz because kids were getting too distracted collecting, comparing, and trading them.
Anyway, I’ve been asked by several people in real life where to buy Silly Bandz, so I figured it might be worth writing something up to post here, as well. But first…
What are Silly Bandz?
In case you haven’t had the pleasure of collecting, trading, playing with, or buying Silly Bandz, here’s the deal:
Silly Bandz are little more than rubber band bracelets that come in numerous colors and shapes. They’re typically sold in themed packs, including the following “official” Silly Bandz packs:
- Alphabet
- Art Fest
- Baseball
- Basic
- Beach
- Fantasy
- Pets
- Princess
- Rainforest
- Rockbandz
- Sea Creatures
- Spring (retired)
- Western
- Zoo
As has been the case with most successful collecting crazes, it appears that these Silly Bandz packs will gradually be retired, thereby further stoking demand.
Not surprisingly, as the phenomenon has grown, a number of impostors have come to market. These are sold under a variety of names, including: Silly Bands, Fun Bands, Animal Rubber Bands, Rubber Band Bracelets, etc. These off-brands have brought with them a number of “innovations,” including tie-dye and sparkly bands.
How much do Silly Bandz cost?
The standard price for a 24-pack of official Silly Bandz is around $5.00. Yep, that’s right. That’s a little over $0.20 for a rubber band. Amazing, huh? Of course, with all the knockoffs that are now available, you can easily find unofficial Silly Bandz for somewhere in the $3-$4/pack range.
Just be sure to double-check the size of the pack you’re buying, as it’s not uncommon to see 12-packs that look like a good deal until you realize you’re getting half as many as you thought.
Where can you buy Silly Bandz?
So… Where can you buy Silly Bandz? That’s almost certainly one of the first questions that will pop into your head when your kids start clamoring for them. As it turns out, you can find Silly Bandz, or a reasonable facsimile, just about anywhere nowadays.
I’ve seen them at Target, Walmart, Toys’R’Us, Learning Express, and in numerous drugstores, grocery stores, and gas stations. Someone even set up a dedicated Silly Bandz kiosk in our local mall. And, of course, you can buy them online, with Amazon.com being a prime source.
If you’re out and about hunting for Silly Bandz, your best best is to look near the checkout — exactly where you’d expect to find an impulse buy!