Bracelets have dominated the pre-teen scene in the past couple of years.  Although short-lived, some of the most well-known bracelet fads include Livestrongs, zipper bracelets, and silly bands.  Rainbow looms are the most recent fad, bringing a unique design and process to the bracelet-making game.

The Rainbow Loom Kit was invented by Cheong Choon Ng, a Malaysian immigrant of Chinese descent.  He graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, and came up with the idea in 2010 when he was employed as a crash-test engineer for Nissan.

Everything that you need to make a rainbow loom is included in the kit.  Priced at $17, the kit features a plastic loom and 600 mini, colored rubber bands.  Instead of having to buy a new Rainbow Loom Kit when you run out of rubber bands, refill packs are available, ranging from $3 to $5.  Refill packs come in the traditional rainbow colors, but rubber bands are also being sold in glow-in-the-dark, neon, and tie-dye.

The rainbow loom design appears to be very complex; however, kids as young as five years old are creating them on their own.  For less-experienced loomers, the kit includes a set of instructions, and displays several other designs that are named the single and double rhombus, fishtail, and diamond.  For additional instructions, you can log onto RainbowLoom.com, where there are video tutorials to walk you through the steps of making a bracelet.

Rainbows looms aren’t only attracting pre-teens.  High school and college students, parents, and even grandparents have been spotted wearing them as well.  The bracelets are popular with both male and female audiences, and some have rainbow looms in colors that support their favorite sports team or university.

Rainbow looms can be found at almost any toy store, but for online purchasing, you can look to EBay, Amazon, or the Rainbow Loom website.  These bracelets remain a hit across America, and will continue to be seen piled elbow-high on a young loomer’s arm.