A Geneva store is touting the Rainbow Loom as this year's break-out toy.
According to a press release from Learning Express Toys in the Geneva Commons, this toy craze is "sweeping Geneva."
Remember the Silly Bandz buzz not too many years ago? Well, this takes the same rubber-band concept and more or less combines it with those pot-holder-making looms kids used to play with way back when.
The question is: Is this the next big thing?
Learning Express Toys says it is.
"For the last few years that breakout toy hasn’t materialized. Until now. This year loom-mania is sweeping the nation, and kids all over Geneva are weaving rubber band creations with the much sought after Rainbow Loom," the press release says.
The Rainbow Loom kit consists of a plastic loom, rubber bands, a hand tool, and c-clips. Kids weave together the rubber bands to create bracelets, necklaces, key chains, and even the occasional American Flag.
"Learning Express Toys of Geneva now hosts weekly Rainbow Loom classes that cater to beginner, intermediate, and advanced level loomers. The store also sponsors design contests, hosts 'bracelet swap meets,' and provides all the best looming accessories for their young customers," the release says.
We are not making this up, as Dave Barry used to say.
“We like to think of ourselves as the Rainbow Loom Headquarters,” notes owner John Flanagan. “Kids love that we stock our store with charms, organizers, and all the latest band colors. They’ll come in and show us a new design they’ve come up with, and the next week we’ll have them in-store store teaching that design to their fellow loomineers.”
Learning Express Toys Founder and CEO, Sharon DiMinico, attributes much of the Rainbow Loom’s success to its old-fashioned appeal.
“This isn’t a toy that lights up or requires an app; it goes back to basics,” notes DiMinico. “The Rainbow Loom encourages social interaction, builds fine motor skills, and inspires creativity. We’ve come to discover the play possibilities really are endless with this toy.”
The Rainbow Loom is also proving to have universal appeal. The toy is equally popular with boys as it is with girls, and it appeals to a wide variety of age groups.
The Rainbow Loom was invented by parentpreneur Choon Ng. A former crash safety engineer at Nissan, Ng was inspired to develop the loom after seeing his daughters weave bracelets out of small rubber bands. In the early days, Ng took the loom store to store—hopeful that local retailers would take a chance on his product.
Learning Express Toys was one of the first retailers to recognize the loom’s potential. Back in July of 2012, franchisee Cindy O’Hara began to carry the Loom in her Atlanta based locations. The Rainbow Loom quickly took her stores by storm, and Cindy shared that success with her fellow 130 franchisees. The result: Within a few months loom-mania had spread from Georgia to Colorado, California, and everywhere in between.
Is it spreading here? Let us know about your experience.
