Facts About Silly String

Function

• The can is filled with a polymer-based resin which is propelled from the can as a foaming liquid. The string solidifies in air, quickly enough so that when it lands, it is "string."

History

• Silly String was invented by Robert P. Cox and Leonard A. Fish in 1970, patented in 1972 as a "foamable resinous composition." They initially licensed rights to Wham-O, before selling to the Car-Freshener Company in 1997.

Warning

• Silly String is flammable and can stain clothing. It can damage vinyl, including vinyl wallpaper, counters and parade balloons. Clean-up can take a while. In certain places, such as Huntington, N.Y., Silly String and its lookalikes have been banned.

Military String

• The military uses Silly String to detect booby traps in Iraq. The string is light enough to land on invisible trip wires without actually triggering them.

Fun Fact

• A can claims to containt over 400 feet of string.