It’s no secret that in a world filled with fancy and colorful gadgets, children tend to reach for the simplest of toys. They'd rather play in the refrigerator than play with the latest KRE-O CityVille Invasion Dr. Mayhems Jewel Heist; they spend more time in mud puddles than with Barbie dolls. It’s hard to overestimate the appeal of simple things for children, and clapping bracelets are a perfect example. It's not supposed to be fun—it's just a bracelet that snaps onto your wrist—but when you're a kid just getting interested in fashion trends, it's addictive .
The slap bracelet was invented in 1983 by a Wisconsin high school store teacher named Stuart Anders. According to the New York Times , Anders was playing with a steel wire belt in his father's shop when the million-dollar idea suddenly appeared on his wrist. The original clap bracelets, marketed as "clap rings," were made from a long piece of steel -- similar to a steel tape measure or Venetian blind material -- covered with fabric. When it is worn on an unsuspecting wrist, the steel bends into the shape of a bracelet. Slap Wraps quickly became popular and really took off in the '90s when Main Street Toy Co. began selling the bracelets to schoolchildren.
Image: AvaFusion via Etsy
Like a simpler version of the '90s tattoo choker, the slap bracelet has two sides. It's not just a toy that can be expanded and transformed, it's a serious fashion statement - perfect for kids on the cusp of childhood and adulthood, somewhere between the pre- and post-internet eras. Kids in the '90s loved stylish, playful toys, and the Flapping Bracelet fit the bill.
Image: EnchantedFuture via Instagram
Unfortunately, where the craziness of childhood goes, worried parents follow. After a four-year-old girl cut her finger on a sharp metal edge inside a cheap counterfeit bracelet, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection recalled all counterfeit bracelets. Schools in New York state are also banning slap bracelets after more reports of them getting out of hand. Apparently, knockoff versions from Asia are made from cheaper fabrics and low-grade steel, and their sharp edges can rust and wear down the fabric. Since kids addicted to discounts also attach bracelets to their friends' ankles, necks, and anywhere with protruding veins, it seems prudent to stop the craze.
Image: BethKaya via Instagram
But that's not the only dark secret from Pat's past. In 2011, Florida schoolchildren were given a large number of slap bracelets as rewards for their fundraising efforts. But instead of purchasing the original Slap Wraps, school officials opted for the cheaper Chinese version. Once the fabric begins to wear or tear off those knock-off versions, students will discover nude images printed on the metal underneath .
For the second time in the short history of snap bracelets, parents are freaking out. nudie bracelets recalled; slap wrap inventor Stuart Anders himself sent a batch of certified original slap wraps to traumatized (and giggly) students. He even included a letter in which he raved about the power of imagination:
I spent my childhood building forts out of grass and sticks. Cutting and gluing blocks of wood together to make gifts for my family; and painting and coloring everything I could get my hands on. Nothing has changed for me. I still create new things every day. I'm excited about life and all the new things I know my mind will think of - things that no one else has ever thought of or done.
Like all good counterparts, snap bracelets simply don't die. Newest? In 2013, Apple applied for a patent for a "bistable spring with a flexible display," which many suspected was their rumored iWatch development. "One such device that has recently come into widespread use is a clap bracelet, also known as a clap bracelet," Apple writes in the patent. It looks like your newest gadget won't be attached to your wrist, it will snap to your wrist, just like it does on your insides. as the child wishes.
Main image: Wristband Universe
