In an archived periodical, The New York Times reports that the snap bracelet, originally called the slap wrap, was invented in 1983 by high school shop teacher and Wisconsin native Stuart Anders. One can only imagine the look of pure glee that must have graced this savvy shop teacher's face once he figured out that he could mold fabric and steel in such a way that when slapped against a wrist, it would wrap tightly around it with a precise, ungiving hold — a bit like a boa constrictor — and instantly make every outfit cooler.
Like most overnight sensations, the success of the snap bracelet was 10 years in the making. The crafty creation would rise to mainstream popularity in the '90s just as the cool kids were hopping off their Skip-Its and searching for bigger, better things. After receiving millions of orders for the product, which was being marketed by word-of-mouth alone, Anders partnered up with Main Street Toys in the hopes that his invention would fall "somewhere between Pet Rocks and the Hula Hoop" (per The New York Times). In 1990, Anthony Ramirez, the New York Times reporter who originally covered the story, declared that snap bracelets were "almost certainly doomed to a short life." He turned out to be right, but not for the usual reasons most items fall out of fashion.
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