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Rainbow Loom

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Rainbow Loom is a plastic toy loom used to weave colorful rubber bands into bracelets and charms. It was invented in 2011 by Cheong Choon Ng of Novi, Michigan.[1] As of September 2013, it had sold over 1.2 million units, according to Ng,[2] who has sued the makers of rival products FunLoom and Cra-Z-Loom for patent infringement.[1][3]

A Rainbow Loom in use

Description

The Rainbow Loom is a plastic pegboard measuring 2 inches (51 mm) by 8 inches (200 mm).[4] It has push pin-type pegs over which small, colored rubber bands are looped and pulled by means of a plastic crochet hook. The resulting looped knots, known as Brunnian links, can be assembled on the loom into bracelets and other shapes.[2] The Rainbow Loom kit includes a pegboard, crochet hook, special C-shaped or S-shaped fasteners,[2] and 600 small rubber bands in assorted colors. As of 2013, the kit retails for $14.99; additional rubber bands are sold in packages of 600 at a retail price of $4.[5]

History

 
An assortment of items made with a Rainbow Loom

Rainbow Loom was created by Cheong Choon Ng, a Malaysian immigrant of Chinese descent who came to the United States in 1991 to attend Wichita State University, where he earned a graduate degree in mechanical engineering.[1][6] He was employed as a crash-test engineer for Nissan Motor Company in 2010 when he conceived the idea of a toy loom for rubber-band crafting while watching his young daughters make rubber-band jewelry. His prototype, which he called Twistz Bandz,[5] used a wooden board, pushpins, and dental hooks.[2] Encouraged by his family to market the product commercially,[1] he invested $10,000 and found a factory in China to manufacture the parts, which he and his wife assembled in their home in June 2011.[7] Ng renamed his product after discovering an elastic hair band on the market named Twist Band. His brother and niece came up with the name Rainbow Loom.[6]

Efforts to sell the loom online and in toy stores were unsuccessful, however, because customers did not understand how to use the product.[1][7] Ng started a website and filmed instructional videos featuring his daughters and niece.[7] In summer 2012, Ng received his first store orders from franchises of Learning Express Toys, a specialty crafts chain, and sales picked up.[1] In June 2013 arts and crafts retail chain Michaels test-marketed the product in 32 stores; by August the chain was carrying Rainbow Loom in its 1,100 U.S. locations.[7] Rainbow Loom is also sold at Mastermind in Canada and in specialty stores.[6] As of August 2013, 600 retailers were selling Rainbow Loom at a retail price of $15 to $17.[1] The kits are manufactured in China, and Ng supervises distribution out of a 7,500 square feet (700 m2) warehouse near his home.[1]

In 2013, Ng worked with The Beadery and Toner Plastics to produce the Wonder Loom, a redesigned version of the Rainbow Loom that is made in the United States. The Wonder Loom is sold by Wal-Mart.[8] In April 2014 a travel-sized version of the Rainbow Loom was released called Monster Tail.[9][10]

During her tour of New Zealand in 2014, the Duchess of Cambridge was seen wearing a Rainbow Loom band bracelet, which subsequently sparked a significant spike in sales in the UK.[11]

Reception

 
Multicolored rubber bands, used to create items with the Rainbow Loom

Targeted at children aged 8 to 14,[12] Rainbow Loom became a popular pastime in summer camps and summer clubs in 2013, according to The New York Times and Today.[1][5] Grade school-age children make and swap their rubber-band bracelets in the same way as friendship bracelets, and children have posted thousands of their own instructional videos online.[1][4][5] As of October 2013, Rainbow Loom's YouTube channel featured 66 how-to videos and had received nearly 4 million hits.[4] In November 2013 third-graders at St. John the Worker school in Orefield, Pennsylvania participated in a "Rainbow Loom-a-thon", weaving rubber-band bracelets for cancer patients.[13]

As of September 2013, Rainbow Loom had sold over 1.2 million units according to Ng.[2] It was named one of the three most popular toys of 2013 by Cyber Monday Awards[14] and was the most-searched toy on Google that same year.[15]

In 2013 the Rainbow Loom fad inspired a 204-page book, The Loomatic's Interactive Guide to The Rainbow Loom, by Suzanne Peterson, owner of Learning Express Toys of Reno, Nevada,[16][17] and a 48-page book, Totally Awesome Rubber Band Jewelry: Make Bracelets, Rings, Belts & More with Rainbow Loom(R), Cra-Z-Loom(TM) & FunLoom(TM).[18]

In October 2013 two New York City schools banned Rainbow Loom bracelets, stating they were distracting students in the classroom and breeding animosity in the playground.[19][20] Two Orlando, Florida schools have also enforced strict rules on wearing and trading Rainbow Loom bracelets.[21]

Lawsuits

Ng applied to the United States Patent and Trademark Office in 2010 for a patent on Rainbow Loom, and received it in July 2013. In August 2013 he filed suit against Zenacon LLC, makers of FunLoom; LaRose Industries LLC, makers of Cra-Z-Loom; and Toys "R" Us, distributors of Cra-Z-Loom, alleging that the rival products copied the design of the C-shaped fasteners used in rubber-band jewelry-making on the Rainbow Loom. LaRose Industries immediately lodged a countersuit against Ng's company, Choon's Design LLC.[2]

  • Items created with Rainbow Loom
  •  
    Fishtail
  •  
    Snake
  •  
    Multi-row bracelet
  •  
    Flower
  •  
    Animal
  •  
    Bracelet with beads
  •  
    Clovers
  •  
    Angry Bird

See also

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rainbow Loom.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Martin, Claire (31 August 2013). "Rainbow Loom's Success, From 2,000 Pounds of Rubber Bands". The New York Times. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Needleman, Sarah E.; Janofsky, Adam (11 September 2013). "Patent Fight Erupts Over Kids' Fad". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  3. ^ "Rainbow Loom". YouTube. Retrieved 2013-09-24.
  4. ^ a b c DeMarco, Laura (25 October 2013). "The Rainbow Loom bracelet trend is sweeping the nation – and Cleveland". The Plain Dealer. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b c d Katz, Amber (15 August 2013). "The new Silly Bandz: Rainbow Loom bracelets a hit with kids". Today. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Unger, Nissi. "300,000 Pounds of Rubber Bands and Counting". Aim!, 4 December 2013, pp. 10–11.
  7. ^ a b c d Clifford, Catherine (26 August 2013). "Inventor of the Wildly Popular 'Rainbow Loom' Weaves the American Dream With Rubber Bands in a Detroit Basement". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  8. ^ Catherine Kavanaugh (December 15, 2013). "Rainbow Loom's creator weaves success from playtime inspiration". Crain's Detroit Business.
  9. ^ "Rainbow Loom creator unveils newest creation at Elf-stravaganza". WCIV. 10 November 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  10. ^ Susan Tompor (March 25, 2014). "Rainbow Loom of Wixom creates a toy sensation with $10,000". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 17, 2014.
  11. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27974401
  12. ^ Waldman, Katy (19 December 2013). "Rainbow Loom: What happens when a 26-year-old woman tries out the biggest tween fad of the year?". Slate. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  13. ^ Fisher, Donna (15 November 2013). "Rainbow Loom bracelets for kids with cancer". The Morning Call. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Kid's Toys Awards". Cyber Monday Awards. 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2013.
  15. ^ Murray, Rheana (21 November 2013). "The top toys parents, kids are searching for online this season". New York Daily News. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  16. ^ "Rainbow Loom Headquarters". Learning Express Toys. 2014. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  17. ^ Peterson, Suzanne (2013). The Loomatic's Interactive Guide to The Rainbow Loom. Hijinx, LLC. ASIN B00FK8LD9Y.
  18. ^ Dorsey, Coleen (23 October 2013). Totally Awesome Rubber Band Jewelry: Make Bracelets, Rings, Belts & More with Rainbow Loom(R), Cra-Z-Loom(TM) & FunLoom(TM). Design Originals. ISBN 1574218964.
  19. ^ "'Rainbow Loom' Bracelets Banned From Two NYC Schools, Spark Debate". The Huffington Post. 23 October 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  20. ^ Gould Keil, Jennifer; Ford, Sabrina; O'Neill, Natalie (17 October 2013). "School Bans Rainbow Loom Bracelets". New York Post. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
  21. ^ Lambert, Evan (16 December 2013). "Rainbow Loom bracelets banned in some Central Florida schools". WKMG-TV. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
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