red rubber bands?

[fflo]

Did the default color of rubber band used to be red, or am I having some kind of crazy Lisa moment?

If they did, when did they start being another color, and why?

Comments

[groovesinorbit]

I remember rubber bands being red when I was a kid. Thick, too. The default's been tan for ages, although I've seen blue ones, too. I have a drawerful of the tan ones.

[paperkingdoms]

As far back as I remember, rubber bands have been tan. We always had plenty of skinny red ones around, though, because that's what holds newspapers together.

red rubber bands?

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

I only remember red being the default for the giant ones. The kind conveniently big enough to wear as a headband and bug out one's eyes. For other bands of rubber, I seem to only recall tan as the default.

Re: red rubber bands?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Maybe I'm just thinking of the ones on newspapers---in Kansas? Of course this is a distant memory, and you may be too much of a baby to verify it, you young'n, you!

Re: red rubber bands?

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

could be. nor have I received many newspapers in Kansas.
I do remember that my grandma had a vast collection of rubber bands hanging on every damn doorknob in her house. All were ancient, most were blue, with a few red and tan ones thrown in the mix. That was in Indiana, and I am certain most were from the newspaper.

Re: red rubber bands?

[vachementmoi.livejournal.com]

are you the cristy i met at fflo's birthday bash?

and on the rubber band train...i always remember them being tan. but then my grandma always had lots of green ones (illinois) from the paper. but now you can get them in ALL SORTS of colors!!!!

threads such as these (mostly always starting with fflo) always make me giggle out loud.

Re: red rubber bands?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

At least she could find a rubber band when she needed it---albeit a potentially not-very-rubbery-any-more one.

Re: red rubber bands?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

Hey! These are important issues of the day! (chuckle)

Yeah, Cristy's yer tattoo artist.

Re: red rubber bands?

[vachementmoi.livejournal.com]

that's what i thought.

Re: red rubber bands?

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

I am indeed that cristy...

my grandma's rubberbands

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

You know, I don't often need rubber bands. It seems to me that this is recent though, like I used to often need a rubberband. I have found myself lamenting my non-use of them, as I have a fondness for anything that qualifies as an office supply. But my grandma always had one when she needed one, you are absolutely right. In fact, I sometimes will catch myself putting rubberbands on doorknobs. I sort of expect them to be there.

Sorry that I cannot confirm the default color for you though, as I know that was what you were aiming for...

Re: my grandma's rubberbands

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I like to put beads on doorknobs.

It started with Mardi Gras beads, either brought back to me by people who'd been to the real thing (I never have, though I used to threaten to take the train down from B'more for it) or acquired by me at this joint in Silver Spring where my ex- and I used to go see Little Red and the Renegades, a zydeco bar band of some local renown. Holly tended to be a beader-of-knobs, too, so now a knob looks kinda naked to me without a necklace of some sort hangin' on it.

[wednes.livejournal.com]

I always thought they were tan by default. maybe they are melting down superballs to give us bands in fabulous technicolor.

[queerbychoice.livejournal.com]

When I was a little kid, the newspaper always came in either a red rubber band or a green rubber band, equally often. Red seemed to me slightly more like the default though, because I also saw red rubber bands in other contexts.

The first time I saw tan rubber bands was at the orthodontist's office. They would always but rubber bands on my braces, and those rubber bands were always tan, never red. However, I assumed this was specific to the medical/dental industry, because tan rubber bands match the color of teeth better than red ones.

It's true that during the 15 years or so since then, I've been increasingly seeing tan rubber bands more often than red or green ones in all contexts. Despite this, however, I never really mentally processed tan as being the new default. To me, red is still the default. It's just that, er, the default isn't very common anymore. :p

Re: my grandma's rubberbands

[masculine-lady.livejournal.com]

honestly, what *else* would you do with Mardi Gras beads when the party is over?

[fflo.livejournal.com]

You're so queer, G.! (I hate to give up the old-style sense of the word entirely---but I do mean it in a good way, too, almost always.)

[sprig5.livejournal.com]

if anyone has any rubber bands -- of the traditional size (don;t mean to start a new discussion on that necessarily), i would like to have them. i use them to categorize bills (I fold stacks of bills in half and put rubber bands around them).

[fflo.livejournal.com]

I doubt many people are going to read this thread henceforth. Are you serious that you want rubber bands sent to you? You could put out a call for 'em, I suppose.