Wonder Loom

Wonder Loom is a toy loom used to create colorful bracelets and charms by weaving rubber bands together into Brunnian links. It was designed in 2013 by Choon's Designs LLC of Wixom, Michigan[1] and licensed to The Beadery Craft Products in Hope Valley, Rhode Island as the exclusive manufacturer.

Description

The Wonder Loom is a plastic pegboard style loom measuring 2.25 inches (57 mm) by 11.75 inches (298 mm) with 3 rows of 13 pegs each. Colorful elastics are placed on the pins and then looped using a hooked picking tool. This produces strings of interconnected loops called Brunnian links, which depending on the pattern used, forms jewelry, headbands, keychains, action figures[1] or other shapes when removed.

The Wonder Loom kit includes a loom, which features patented channels and flanges to make the looping easier, a picking tool, C-clip fasteners and an assortment of 600 rubber bands.[2]

History

The Wonder Loom was created by Cheong Choon Ng, also the creator of the Rainbow Loom, when Wal-Mart and other retailers requested a made-in-the-USA version of the toy.[3] After reworking the loom to simplify the design, Ng licensed the Wonder Loom to The Beadery Craft Products as the exclusive US manufacturer. The product hit the shelves at Wal-Mart stores on 8 November 2013 and shipped 150,000 units per week through the 2013 holiday season and into 2014.[4]

The Wonder Loom has also inspired several instructional books to be published. These include:

Since its release, new products have been added to the line including new band colors and assortments and beads and charms to attach to the bracelets. The Beadery has also announced a smaller hand-held version called the HandyLoom™ and other new tools and accessories being revealed later in 2014.[2]

Gallery

References

  1. 1 2 Kavanaugh, Catherine (15 December 2013). "Rainbow Loom's creator weaves success from playtime inspiration". Crain's Detroit Business.
  2. 1 2 "The Beadery Buzz: Wonder Loom Products". The Beadery. March 2014.
  3. ↑ Chesto, Jon (18 May 2014). "Here's how Wal-Mart helped a Mass. manufacturer add dozens of jobs". Boston Business Journal.
  4. ↑ Kavanaugh, Catherine (17 December 2013). "Inventor brings US business into loop with Wonder Loom". Plastic News.
  5. ↑ Wonder Loom: Bracelets and Things. Leisure Arts. 2013. ASIN B00H2XTYWS.
  6. ↑ Rubber Band Loom Crafts. Leisure Arts. 14 January 2014. ASIN B00HVJG84U.
  7. ↑ Wonder Loom: Beyond the Basics. Leisure Arts. 2014.

External links

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