The slap bracelet, an innocuous little wrist wrap turned children's toy, was to early '90s kids what fidget spinners are to children of the 2010s. Incredibly simple and idiotically brilliant, the slap bracelet was both a fashion statement and an endlessly entertaining toy. The bracelet was conceived in 1983 by Stuart Andres, a high school shop teacher from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. The original prototype featured a flexible piece of steel, similar to the material a tape measure is made of, covered in a colorful soft fabric. With the flick of a wrist, Slap-Bracelets could be smacked onto child-sized limbs and would conform to their shape. Repeated over and over, the movement of snapping the bracelet and molding it flat again became reasonably addictive.
Anders sold his concept to Main Street Toys using the name "Slap Wrap." Company's president Eugene Murtha immediately saw the toy's potential: a cheaply manufactured product that customers would buy over and over. In 1990, slap bracelets sold for about $1.30 wholesale and $2.50 retail. Main Street Toys had prior experience dealing with fad toys. The company was led by former executives, including Murtha, from Coleco Industries, which marketed the famous Cabbage Patch dolls in the 1970s.
The overwhelming popularity of slap bracelets encouraged many copycat competitors who created and sold knockoffs of the toy. However, some of these unlicensed products disregarded safety standards and began to cause injuries when the metal bands broke. Headlines such as "Principle Puts a Halt to Slap Bracelet Fad" ran in newspapers like the New York Times. Covering the backlash against the trend, the AP wrote, "Children in this suburb of New York will just have to suffer being unfashionable, at least during school hours, because the slap-bracelet has been banned at two elementary schools."
Item Categories:
Before Furbies or Nano Kitties came the electronic pet that kicked off one of the biggest trends of the late 1990s. Tamagotchi was the first pocket-sized digital companion: a computerized alien pet that you could raise and care for through birth,...
Read More About: Tamagotchi Item Categories:
Another example of nineties toymakers going HAM on miniatures. Tech Deck fingerboards are small skateboards that can be manipulated and “ridden” using your fingers. Fingerboards were initially produced as keychains for skate shops but evolved...
Read More About: Tech Deck Fingerboards Item Categories:
Toymakers in the 1990s really were all about the portable toy. From the Tamagotchi and portable CD players to handheld electronics like the Game Boy Color, if you couldn’t take it with you, what good was it to a nineties kid? Aimed at a somewhat...
Read More About: Polly Pocket Item Categories:
It's morphin' time! Tommy is ready to fight Puddys and drive some Zords. When trouble arises, you can “flip” on Tommy's Green Ranger mask and commence the theatrical karate. He also comes with a few weapon and armor accessories that your dog will enjoy chewing up, if you don’t lose them first.
Item Categories:
This iconic toy still maintains a wrestler’s grip on the American imagination more than 44 years after it was first released to the public. Originally developed and produced by the toy company Kenner Products in 1976, Stretch Armstrong was the...
Read More About: Stretch Armstrong Figure Item Categories:
Have you heard about Betty Spaghetty? No? By the end of the '90s, most kids had heard about Betty Spaghetty and were familiar with her bendable doll body and brightly-colored accessories. These dolls are available on the market today with a slightly new look, but still include the bendable characteristics of the original models.
Item Categories:
A pin relief board was a common site in 1990’s households. Often times, they contained the impression of a smushed face or a hand giving an interesting gesture. Grab one today and feed your creativity through artistic pin expression.
Item Categories:
Once again, you can unlock your inner power and display your love for the '90s with this power bead bracelet. Hopefully, this accessory will put you in a state of zen and leave you feeling at peace. If not, at least you will look cool.
Item Categories:
Do you miss the days of being peed on by a toy doll? Well, miss them no more! Baby Alive is back and ready to provide all of the biological joys that come with caring for a very hungry and thirsty baby.
Item Categories:
Although the design is not the same as that old tube TV shape, Lite-Brites are still available for purchase. Grab one today and express your inner '90s kid through light and tiny little plastic pegs.
Item Categories:
