"I spent way too much money on the Silly Bandz craze," she says. This difference is much, much larger than any of the cognitive or personality differences between the sexes.” 
 
 (MORE: School Has Become Too Hostile for Boys) 
 
 What’s delighting a certain set of parents about boys’ affinity for Rainbow Loom is that it requires quiet concentration and fine motor skills to string tiny rubber bands onto a loom and then essentially crochet them with an equally diminuative hook. The Rainbow Loom craze began in the summer, and unlike other fads, it has not yet abated, despite the decision of two public elementary schools in New York City to ban them. The Rainbow Loom also defies stereotypical gender norms, as boys and girls are similarly obsessed with making, trading and giving the bracelets to their friends. In a story for Time magazine, Annie Murphy Paul expressed surprise when her 7-year old son, who normally plays football and baseball, asked for a kit and embraced “the distinctly feminine activity of making jewelry.” Murphy argues that the Rainbow Loom is more than a toy — it's hope for gender equality. “I think it’s a complete overreaction on the part of the administration,” says one P.S. At the same time, other parents applaud the schools for taking action. They believe that the rainbow looms were disruptive to the classroom environment and created a divide between those who have the looms and those who do not. 107, declined to comment on the matter, but corrected previous reports that said she called the bracelets, “addictive.” She said she did not. “As far as I know, the (Rainbow) bracelets aren’t banned in our schools at the moment,” says Guzzo. “But I don’t think most teachers permit the student to bring the loom and a gazillion bracelets into class, although they can wear them.” 
 
 “I think it’s nice when they have indoor recess on rainy days and people bring in the bands and looms,” says Angela Rella, a Saratoga Springs, N.Y. mother of a third-grade girl and a kindergarten-aged boy, who both love the toy. Her 6-year-old daughter also makes the bracelets and her 10-year old son wears them, too.
– It's apparently not too early to anoint this year's hot holiday toy, one that is surprisingly old school: the Rainbow Loom. And as Annie Murphy Paul writes at Time, "If you don't know what that is, you don't have children under age twelve." For those in the dark, the contraption helps kids create intricate rubber band bracelets, usually dispensed to friends. The craze got its start in the summer but intensified with the return to school, writes Laura DeMarco at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. And, crucially, boys are on board. In fact, Time's Murphy Paul finds this the most interesting part of the trend, given the entrenched gender roles in the toy biz. Parents seem to love the looms because they don't involve staring at a screen and theoretically build kids' motor skills and social ones, too. (Thanks to all the bracelet exchanging going on.) Plus, starter kits don't break the bank at about $17—assuming you can find one on store shelves. "The last time parents were this hot and heavy over a toy, it was Beanie Babies," a toy store owner tells the Chicago Tribune. And the obligatory Beanie Babies comparison isn't the only milestone for the looms: Two schools in New York City have banned them because they were deemed too distracting, notes Today.com. (In other toy news, click to read about how Legos are angrier these days.)