Silly String

Young girls playing with Silly String

Silly String (generically known as aerosol string) is a children's toy of flexible, sometimes brightly-colored, plastic string propelled as a stream of liquid from an aerosol can. The solvent in the string quickly evaporates in mid-air, creating a continuous strand. Silly String is often used during weddings, birthday parties, carnivals and other festive occasions. Silly String is often sold at dollar stores or party stores.

Composition

The material is a polymer-based resin which was originally formulated using the chlorofluorocarbon propellant Freon 12, one of a group of compounds believed to damage the ozone layer. Within a year of Silly String's introduction the United States banned Freon 11 and 12. The manufacturers then changed the formulation to use permitted propellants.^[1]

History

Silly String was patented by Leonard A. Fish and Robert P. Cox. A United States Patent was issued to them in 1972 as a "foamable resinous composition". Cox died in February, 2008.They invented Silly String, which they originally named "Squibbly," while developing an aerosol spray cast for limbs. This information was supplied by Leonard Fish, co-inventor. Silly String and its imitators are reputed to be the largest selling novelty toy in the world because people buy multiple cans and use the Silly String quickly.^{[citation needed]} It is polymer-based, likely 11-16% polyisobutyl-methacrylate and 0.5 to 4% sorbitan trioleate dissolved in a solvent that evaporates in the air and acts as a foaming agent. The pressure in the can propels the mixture a distance of up to 20 feet (6.1 m). Other alleged ingredients are a small amount of isopropyl alcohol and plasticizers like dibutyl phthalate.

Silly String was licensed to and produced by Wham-O, in a range of colors including blue, red, and green, until the rights were sold to the Car-Freshner Corporation, the maker of Little Trees, in 1997. The U.S. Patent #3705669 includes a clear description of preferred implementations.^[2] Similar toys are Goofy String, Streamer String, Wacky String and Nickelodeon Smatter.

The can is advertised as containing "over 400 feet (120 m) of string." One measurement has shown over 1,600 feet (490 m).^[3]

Safety

The composition of Silly String is fairly safe, but the evaporating fluorocarbon solvent can be quite cold, theoretically capable of causing frostbite. The mixture is a very weak skin irritant. The solvent is somewhat flammable, although the polymerized string is said to be flame-resistant. The manufacturer does not recommend use near an open flame or even a warm light bulb.^[4] The flammability of Silly String as it comes out of the can has been highlighted in several home videos of Silly String sprayed near birthday cakes with lit candles, causing small but frightening fires.

In December 2006, Tween Brands Inc., a retailer of girls' clothing and accessories in the United States, was fined $109,800 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for "allegedly distributing canned confetti string damaging to the ozone." EPA said the product marketed under various names by the retailer damages the stratospheric ozone layer. The production and use of chemicals harmful to that layer is controlled by U.S. federal law.^[5]

Silly String may on rare occasions damage the vinyl surfaces of inflatable structures, upholstery, vinyl wallpaper, and automobile vinyl tops.

Military use

Silly String and similar products have been used by American and British military forces to detect tripwires for explosive booby traps. The string is sprayed over the suspected area, and if the string falls to the ground, no tripwires are present since the string would catch on the tripwires (but is not heavy enough to activate the explosive).^[6][7][8]

As of 2006^[update] it is being used by U.S. troops in Iraq for this purpose.^[9][10][11] However, because the material is an aerosol, it cannot be shipped privately to Iraq and it is not provided by official channels. Thus, 80,000 cans were unintentionally stockpiled in New Jersey.^[12] In October 2007, a shipping company with the required credentials was finally found.^[13]

Bans

The use of Silly String has been banned in several places for various reasons.

It has been banned in the city of Ridgewood, New Jersey and a number of other places, and also at some public gatherings and events.^[14] The town board of Huntington in Long Island banned the sale of Silly String within 1,500 feet (460 m) of the route of a parade.^[15][16]

In 2004, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn signed a council-backed ordinance (LAMC Section 56.02) to ban Silly String in Hollywood on Halloween night. The ordinance calls for a maximum $1000 fine and/or six months in jail for use, possession, sale or distribution of Silly String in Hollywood from 12:00 am on October 31 to 12:00 pm on November 1, a 36 hour time period. ^[17][18]

See also

• Flubber
• Slime

References

1. ^ Wilson, Tracy. "How Silly String Works". How Stuff Works. http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/silly-string.htm. Retrieved 13 February 2011. 
2. ^ "Foamable Resinous Composition". Google.com. http://www.google.com/patents?id=E50rAAAAEBAJ&printsec=abstract&zoom=4&dq=3705669#PPA2,M1. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
3. ^ "Silly String". Cockeyed.com. http://www.cockeyed.com/inside/string/silly.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
4. ^ Moskowitz, Lisa (1998-09-30). "A mother's guide to gunk". Salon.com. 
5. ^ "EPA reaches agreement with Tween Brands on clean-air". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 2006-12-04. http://yosemite.epa.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/a8f952395381d3968525701c005e65b5/80dd0db3ab9e22b88525723a006527a2!OpenDocument. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
6. ^ "Schneier on Security: Military Uses for Silly String". Bruce Schneier. http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2005/11/military_uses_f.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
7. ^ "Not So Silly String". Kit Up (Military.com). http://kitup.military.com/2006/11/not_so_silly_st.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
8. ^ "N.J. woman collects Silly String for serious use". MSNBC.com. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16079446/. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
9. ^ Martens, Ellin (November 19, 2006). "Not So Silly String In Iraq". TIME.com. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1561143,00.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
10. ^ "A Serious Use For Silly String". CBS News. December 6, 2006. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/12/06/iraq/main2234543.shtml. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
11. ^ "FOX VIDEO: 'Silly String' is saving lives over in Iraq". The Raw Story. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. http://web.archive.org/web/20071012184140/http://rawstory.com/news/2006/FOX_VIDEO_Silly_String_saving_lives_1204.html. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
12. ^ Applebome, Peter (September 20, 2007). "Toy Goo Might Save Some Soldiers’ Lives, but It’s Stuck Here". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/nyregion/20towns.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1190311062-JYCcbraWE6kWoeB+ETiAQA&oref=slogin. Retrieved 2007-10-16. 
13. ^ "Silly String care packages on the way to troops, at last". AP. USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-10-15-string_N.htm. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
14. ^ Sanders, Alain L.; Horn, Dara (1998-07-06). "Banned in the U.S.A.". Time. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,988683,00.html. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
15. ^ Morris, DS (March 5, 2008). "Huntington bans Silly String sale near parades". Newsday.com. Newsday.com. http://www.newsday.com/news/local/suffolk/ny-lihunt055602066mar05,0,6864143.story. Retrieved 2008-03-13. ^{[dead link]}
16. ^ "American towns mull swearing & Silly String bans". Associated Newspapers. http://www.metro.co.uk/weird/83057-american-towns-mull-swearing-silly-string-bans. Retrieved 2011-09-27. 
17. ^ "Silly String Banned In Hollywood This Halloween - official website of THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT". Lapdonline.org. http://www.lapdonline.org/october_2004/news_view/20641. Retrieved 2011-05-15. 
18. ^ [1]^{[dead link]}