Schools to Kids: Lose the Silly Bandz

For those not plugged in to the school-age set, Silly Bandz are hot. They're like colorful rubber bands in the shape of animals or mermaids or whatever, and kids love to trade them or, to the great enjoyment of teachers, snap them in class. So much so that schools in a bunch of states, including New York and Texas, have banned them as a distraction, reports Time.

"They're getting banned because kids play with them so much," says the president of the small Toledo company, BCP Imports, that makes them. (Teachers also have complained of fights sparked by bad trades.) The company had to add 22 phone lines this week alone because of spiking demand, notes Time. And now that they're being outlawed in school halls, it's a safe bet that demand will only grow. (More Silly Bandz stories.)