Backtrack to the Past: Elementary School Trends
Everyone lives among trends. Even if they’re not aware of them, or they’re not updated with the latest ones, at least they acknowledge their existence. Later on, the things that trended a couple of years ago may seem silly, and people may wonder why these things were so popular in the first place. But hey, it’s a part of growing up and making new memories with that “thing” everyone always had. These things will vary per country, state, city, and school, but perhaps we share a few things in common. Shoutout to the 2000’s babies; welcome to Elementary School Trends!
Apparel
The memory of a six-year-old probably isn’t the most reliable source, but the first thing I recall at six is a clothing store named Justice. As a kid who wore clothes from other stores, I didn’t understand why it was so popular. A bunch of kids bought the scented pencils, earrings, tank tops, etc. I don’t know if it’s still there now, but the shirts used to have a monkey on it and I saw that monkey everywhere as a kid. Currently on the website, there’s a lot of other clothes. Maybe it always existed, but I didn’t know how to use Google at six, so don’t take my opinion to heart if this is a store you love… maybe my peers had an odd taste in their clothing.
A shirt from Justice and Skechers’ Twinkle Toes Twi-Lights from left to right.
A bit later, the shoe brand Skechers made it big with a shoe line called “Twinkle Toes”. And the shoes light up if the person stomps their feet. The only sneakers brand I’ve worn is New Balance , so I’m not entirely sure, but I would say this is the “little kid Converse” of the early 2000’s. Perhaps kids bought it to match the trend, but I remember that my friends would always talk about the shoebox more than their shoes since the box came with a music-playing speaker.
Toys
Among some of the viral toys from my childhood, the most popular ones at my school were Silly Bandz, Rainbow Loom, and Squinkies. From what I remember, Silly Bandz became popular a couple of years before Rainbow Loom. It probably seems pointless, but they’re rubber bands that have shapes to them. The limited edition ones glowed in the dark and were sparkly, so kids would borrow the pretty ones from their friends.
A picture of a person wearing and holding Silly Bandz.
Rainbow Loom kicked Silly Bandz out of the park since it was for the “older kids”, and little kids didn’t have the skill to do it. It’s similar to a friendship bracelet, but it’s made of small rubber bands (similar size to the small ones used for braids), and possibly less difficult since I managed to learn the basic ones. The name makes it self-explanatory unless you’ve never heard of what a loom is. Since this is for kids, think of it as a simplified version of the tray for tapestries, but it’s bracelets or other shapes. The loom is what’s used to put the threads together in a tapestry. In the same way, you make the object on a plastic loom:
Left: A tray for making designs. Right: An image of popular Rainbow Loom designs
As seen in the image above on the right, there are various patterns used for bracelets. The design at the very top is called “fishtail”, and the one at the very bottom is called “single.” These two are the most simple designs (and the only ones I know how to do), but the more complicated ones can be found here.
A picture of Squinkies.
Squinkies are small rubber figures (humans, animals, etc.) that come in little circular cases similar to those in gumball machines. Apparently, they could be worn on rings, but I don’t remember doing it myself since I didn’t like things on my hands (which is also why I never wore the bracelets from Rainbow Loom). I would say it’s the same concept as Littlest Pet Shop, Shopkins, or Num Noms (if those aren’t familiar to you, they’re small collectibles).
Whether you realize it or not, these silly trends make up many memories and will continue to shape what you think of years later. While your city or school will influence trends, your culture and country also affect them since things popular in America may not be in another country. What are some of your favorite trends from the past, or even right now? Are they similar to some of these, or different?
