Mass of tweens get stuck in slime trend
Modern variant of Silly Putty inspires cottage industry
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Call this The Summer of Slime.
The slime trend is probably happening right now in your home, if you live with a tween girl. Or maybe it’s on your phone, in endless video loops that crackle and pop on Instagram and YouTube.
For boomers and Gen Xers who aren’t aware, slime is like modern-day Silly Putty. Or Play-Doh. But instead of being able to copy newsprint on the gooey substance or sculpt a grubby, avocado-green animal that resembles a Picasso nightmare, 21stcentury slime is slick and pretty. It’s DIY and social media ready.
It’s bright and fluffy, crunchy and glittery. Like unicorn poop would be, if unicorns existed and pooped.
“It’s just really soothing to touch and stuff,” observes Stella Templin, a 13-year-old from Northampton, Mass. “And the noises it makes are really, really satisfying.”
Full disclosure: this reporter purchased a 4-oz. jelly jar of Cherry Bomb Slime from Stella who, with a friend, has a slimemaking business.
Yes, they are slime-trepreneurs.
More on that in a minute. Let’s back up and explain these blobs that have taken America by storm. Slime is easy to create with a bit of a mad-scientist feel to the process. Sure, there’s premade slime, but there’s not much excitement in that.
Glue, baking soda and contact lens solution are all it takes to make satisfyingly stretchy slime. Some recipes call for Borax, shaving cream or Tide laundry detergent.
The optimal slime is not too wet, not too sticky, stretchy and malleable. When squooshed by hand, it emits satisfying pops and bubbles, sounds that are part of the allure. Some fans watch videos of people playing with slime because they find the noises relaxing.
“The videos are satisfying because they help people calm down,” said Alyssa Jagan, a 15-yearold from Toronto. The goo has become something of a cottage industry for tweens who want to earn a bit of pocket money, or at least cover the cost of supplies. Alyssa has an Etsy store, and Stella and her friend sell on another site.
“Slime has been one of our top search items since last October,” said Dayna Isom Johnson, a trend expert at Etsy.
Sarah Rubens of St. Paul, Minn., reports that her family has witnessed the onslaught of Styrofoam beads, kinetic sand, shaving cream, food coloring, acrylic paint and, the horror of all craft horrors, glitter. All are in the service of slime-making by her 12-year-old daughter AstridRubens thinks slime is a powerful sensory experience for a generation that’s relied on electronics.
“I feel like she does some really deep thinking when she’s got her hands in the slime,” Rubens said.