Reflective Slap Bracelet

Interest is growing for the funflector® reflective slap bracelets and we thought it would be fun to find some slap bracelet fun facts and other things they have inspired. Most people remember slap wraps or slap bracelets from the early 90’s when they were a fad in schools until the kids misused them so much that the bracelets had to be banned. However, they are like all other products: if you buy good quality and use them with some “common sense”, they will serve you well.

Wisconsin teacher Stuart Anders invented the slap bracelet in the late 80’s and it was launched by the Main Street Toy Company under the brand name Slap Wrap. A slap bracelet consists of a piece of metal that needs a tap or a slap to go from straight to curled up. For comfort and style, the metal is covered with cloth or integrated in a silicon/rubber band.

We’ve seen several stories on the internet about reused metal measuring tapes being used inside the slap bracelet cover, the one with school kids getting naked ladies being the worst. We cut one of our slap bracelets apart to check, and there was no surprise whatsoever, just bare metal. However, we could not get our tape measure to curl like our slap bracelets; instead we learned how a spring loaded retractable tape measure works…

After filing a patent, rumors have been circulating for a while that Apple will release a flexible screen attached to something similar to a slap bracelet. We are still waiting…

In the Ragnar Relays, teams of 12 run a 200-mile relay over two days and one night and use a slap bracelet instead of a relay baton. The Ragnar Trail Relays are similar, but uses scenic trails instead of roads to run on and there is more focus on treating nature gently.  Just like the street in Sweden I grew up on (Ragnar Lodbroks gränd), the race got its name after the legendary Norse viking hero Ragnar Lodbrok. Neat! 🙂

There is no stable state between totally straight or completely curled up unless you hold onto it with force. An AA Design Research Lab team in London came up with conceptual design for a flexible office where they imagined giant slap bands attached together to make straight and curled sections. A creative idea, but we are not too surprised that it has not been implemented during the five years since it was suggested. Look at their ideas and models in de zeen magazine and imagine that instead of a box with cubicles as your office!

When soft reflector material became available, extra long and sturdy slap bracelets with a reflective cover became popular in the Scandinavian countries as pants clips for bicyclists. They are easy to use, keep pant legs out of oily bicycle chains and increase visibility at the same time.

Did you know that we are also taking orders for customized slap bracelet reflectors? Right now, you can make as few as 75 with your logo or slogan, but availability is limited! Contact us today for current rates and specials!

Elisabeth