If you grew up in the 90s, you probably remember the slap bracelet. What you may not know, though, is that the slap bracelet, which was officially named the Slap Wrap, was invented by a Wisconsinite. Its Wisconsin roots aren’t too surprising. When you think about it, lots of amazing things have roots in the Badger State. (Read about a few of them here.) Read on to learn all about how one of the 90s hottest trends came to be.

The 90s produced tons of trends, but the slap bracelet has got to be one of the most memorable – and we have Wisconsin native, Stuart Anders, to thank for it.
Paulo O/Flickr
Part toy and part fashion accessory, the bracelet was a hit with kids of all ages.
Believe it or not, the beloved bracelet of the decade, which Anders dubbed Slap Wrap, was inspired by…a self-rolling tape measure.
Sean MacEntee/Flickr
It’s true; the idea for the bracelet came to Anders while sitting at a sewing table and fidgeting with a tape measure.
Though Anders came up with the idea for the bracelet in the 80s, it wasn’t released until 1990.
Tim McCune/Flickr
Unfortunately, a few other manufacturers beat him to the punch. Slap Wrap was debuted at the 1990s American International Toy Fair in New York City, and it was a huge hit. However, several prototypes of the bracelet were misplaced at the toy fair and before the Slap Wrap could be released, cheap knock-offs were already hitting store shelves.

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The knock-offs gave the Slap Wrap a bad rap because they were cheaply made and, in some cases, caused injury to the wearer since the metal bracelet would often break through the fabric.
Daniel/Flickr
To put things into perspective, about 1 million Slap Wraps were sold for $2.50 each, whereas roughly 10 – 15 million counterfeit bracelets were sold for as little as $0.70 each!
Despite the dangers linked to slap bracelets, their popularity skyrocketed. Kids of all ages were going crazy for them and teachers were going just as crazy.
Paradox 56/Flickr
It didn’t take long for slap bracelets to take over classrooms across America. It also didn’t take long for the disruptive and, sometime dangerous bracelets to be banned from schools in several states, including a couple in New York and Pennsylvania.
The Slap Wrap’s popularity may have been short-lived, but it was just the beginning of entrepreneurship for Anders.
Mike Mozart/Flickr
Several years after the rise and fall of the Slap Wrap, Anders invented a socket holder, which he sold to Sears.

 

Do you remember slap bracelets? Did you know a Wisconsinite was behind the 90s fad? Tell us in the comments section.

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