Robert+Croak

Robert Croak

//Morgan's Research﻿ //
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 * His idea was ignited when he saw a similar version that Japan uses in offices.
 * Its started not only nationwide, it went worldwide.
 * Kids everywhere are dying to get there hands on them.
 * He made rare ones that are hard to find.
 * The demand for silly bands are through the roof!
 * It caught on in Alabama and then went worldwide.
 * Robert Croak has been a bar owner and concert promoter in Toledo's gritty east side for many years.
 * Some schools have band them because the kids count them, Fling them, and trade them.

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 * Stores have gone from selling just a few packs in a couple days to almost 10,000 packs per month this year.
 * Silly bandz come in all different shapes and sizes. And a variety of different colors, consisting of yellow, green, orange, pink, purple, light blue, dark blue, and red. Silly bandz can also be scented and some evern GLOW in the dark!

http://esillybandz.com/

Megan's Research: 5 Things you didn't know about sillybanz

1. Silly Bandz Were Supposed to Help the Environment Before Silly Bandz bracelets were the latest fashion fad, they were just nameless rubber bands. They were designed in Japan by a man who wanted to stop people from throwing out rubber bands. He created the environmentally friendly animal designs hoping that people would recycle the rubberbands instead of tossing them in the trash. Before long, these creative new products were discovered by Robert Croak and he had them turned into Silly Bandz.

2. The Inventor Has a Criminal Offense on His Record The inventor of Silly Bandz has a small blip on his record. According to Business Week, Robert Croak has a forgery conviction on his record. He claims it was a technicality since it was a minor mistake during his regular business activities, and he was never sentenced to jail. The judge granted him probation, and is required to pay fines.

3. They Do Tricks!

It's not just any rubber band---it can do tricks. The most skilled animal bracelet owners know how to perform as well. Watch with amazment as they spin them around their fingers using one hand. You can even learn how to make a Silly Bandz necklace. Or magically turn the bracelet into a mobile, which really looks more like Jacob's Ladder. Or, they can pull a Houdini and use one hand to tie a knot in the shaped wristband. The possibilities are endless! 4. Kids started the trend of facebook Marketing directors pay attention: Silly Bandz are destined to go down in history as the first huge fad to be advertised primarily through social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, and YouTube, as well as email. There was no paid advertising involved!

5. They are impossible to find in the South, finding a package of these stretchy silicone wristbands is nearly impossible. I visited numerous stores, including specialized gift stores, Hallmark, Office Depot, Learning Express, AC Moore, and everywhere that they each recommended. Finally, I found them at Walgreens and Amazon. So don't pass up a chance to buy a package of Silly Bandz. You don't know when you will get another chance

The Website I got this from: []

Emily's Research: Robert Croak is the man behind the silly bandz. This 47 year old man has sold millions of silly bandz around the world. These bandz are the in thing of this year. The fact is Robert Croak wasn't and inventor all his life he use to be a bar owner. He grew up and got a degree in marketing at Owens College. He also took over his grandmother’s restaurant. Did you know that Lance Armstrong introduced silly bandz to the world? Robert once said, "I have the hottest toy, the hottest fashion product on earth. All the right people like Silly Bandz. Everyone asks who my publicist is. I don't have one. We don't advertise. All we do is viral marketing. This is happening on its own." He is also worried about how fast they could come out of style. More and more people are making silly bandz with a different name and selling them. He says he will have to make more product under the name silly bandz so it will still be a hit. He also stated that before they came out with silly bandz China had the same idea like silly bandz and were selling them in the U.S. He posted a website on silly bandz where kids can order personalized silly bandz. He also created a facebook page which has nearly 255,000 fans already. Over 2,000 videos have been made on silly bandz including the rap song that has almost 24,000 hits. Not only are they a fashion statement they're a toy but many schools are banning them because kids count them and trade them during class. Robert also went to court for forgery for signing a check for a business associate and was put on probation. Part of his probation said he couldn't run the bar anymore so he then realized that he wanted to open something bigger and better SILLY BANDZ! He also had a staff of just 20 people and since silly bandz became so popular he now has 70 staff. Silly bandz are in. Croak said "This is proof that the American dream is still alive. Beanie Babies are not the must-haves anymore, but people still buy them. If Silly Bandz turns into that, it's a great place to be."
 * Silly Bandz Rapmedia type="custom" key="7185287" ||  ||

Emily's Annotated Bibliography Berfield, Susan. "The Man Behind The Bandz." //Yahoo Finance//. BusinessWeek, June-July 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. [].

Annotated Bibliography Morgan Logue

katrina, Alima. "Silly Bandz Making a Mint for Their Creator Robert Croak." //Buzzle Web Portal: Intelligent Life on the Web//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . This website gave the exact information I needed. It gave me when he had the idea and where it took place. He has some that are rare and some that are very common.

"The Man Behind the Bandz - BusinessWeek." //BusinessWeek - Business News, Stock Market & Financial Advice//. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Oct. 2010. . This website wasnt as helpful as the other one. It gave me less information thant he other one. But i still got the information I needed.

"Silly Bandz | Silly Bands."Silly Bandz | Silly Bands. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Oct. 2010. . I think this website was somewhat helpful because it gave me very few facts. But they were still helpful in helping me find my research.