Kids Of All Ages Are Experiencing the "Wow" Factor Of This New Patent Pending Product
Thomasville, GA. (December 10, 2010) – For the past two years, shaped rubber bandz have been one of
the hottest toy products in the country, but up until now, kids could not appreciate the shape of the
guess-what-I’m-wearing silicone rubber bandz by just looking at a friend’s wrist. Is it a pet, a princess or a piece of fruit? You’d have to actually take it off to find out!
Enter Fungrins, LLC, manufacturers and marketers of Piggyback Bandz (www.piggybackbandz.com), a patent-pending version that takes the elastic bracelet to a whole new level – perpendicular to your wrist!
The company cleverly promotes it as “The Bandz That Stand™.” Essentially, Fungrins has incorporated
a mini shaped band that “piggybacks” on top of the traditional shaped rubber band allowing the top
shape to be easily seen when placed on the
wrist.
Toys ‘R’ Us in Canada is the first retailer to offer Piggyback Bandz. Kids (and adults) can
visit any of the 70 Canadian Toys ‘R’ Us stores to grab a pack of the collectible bracelets.
At first glance, Piggyback Bandz looks similar to many other band bracelets, until you slide it
on your wrist and watch it stand at attention, upright. Layer the bandz with one, two or a halfdozen
more to create a word, a secret code, a design or whatever the imagination whips up. Then trade with your friends!
“Who would have thought,” exclaimed toy industry veteran Richard Gottlieb, “someone could ‘top’ the
concept of the shaped rubber band, pun intended, but these guys have come up with a truly novel and
very clever concept. I personally witnessed kids’ reactions in Chicago last month at CHITAG (the
Chicago Toy & Game Fair™) and was bowled over by their excitement.”
Guide For On-The-Go Families -- picked the hottest toys of 2010 including
the shaped rubber band craze and blogged, “Piggyback Bandz takes this toy a
step further by adding a mini-shape that stands up on your arm when you wear
the band. Very fun!”
Bandz in every imaginable shape, color and style have been introduced
including bandz in tie dye, glitter, glow in the dark, camo and UV activated,
however, most bandz are very similar to each other. Even so, these collectible
and colorful bracelets have become an estimated $300 million business.
According to newspaper and online accounts, in less than 2 years, the fun
stretchy shaped rubber bandz have triggered a mania among schoolkids and
penetrated celebrity fashion circles. Yahoo’s 10 Obsessions in 2010 ranked
them ninth – just behind the iPhone (#1) and TV’s Glee (#4)! The collectible,
addictive nature of the bandz have made them popular with boys and girls alike. As the Wall Street
Journal best explained, they “have become an accessory de rigueur on elementary school playgrounds.”
Speaking of the universal craze among kids,
“the appeal of bandz lies in their perfect
combination of being affordable, collectible
and tradable,” says Jackie Breyer, editor in
chief of The Toy Book, a monthly magazine.
Now there’s a new way to piggyback on this
trend plus stand out (and up) from the crowd!
“I predict Piggyback Bandz will be a very hot
item in 2011,” added Gottlieb who blogs “Out
of the Toy Box” for Playthings Magazine and
comments in his Global Toy News collective.
“Every kid who has been into collecting
shaped rubber bandz is going to want these.”
There are currently 8 Piggyback themes.
Choose from Glam, Football, Groovy,
Sealife, Alphabet, Cool Rides, Safari and
Extra Letters. Wear LOL with three bandz,
display a glamorous ring or show off a racing
car or football helmet. Whatever your
personality, there’s a band that fits! Each retails
for $4.99 for a pack of 25 bandz (26 for each
letter of the alphabet).
Purchasing Piggyback Bandz is easy – shop
their website, www.piggybackbandz.com or
maybe you’re lucky enough to live near one of
the specialty stores that carry them. To keep up
on the newest styles, follow them on Facebook,
Twitter and Youtube.
