Why Kids Keep Buying Up All Of The Elmer's Glue

It's far from back-to-school season, but stores everywhere are selling out of Elmer's glue at insane rates. So, what's behind this sudden glue craze? Don't worry, it's nothing so troubling as glue-sniffing; kids are actually buying tons of glue because of a recent crafting sensation that requires bottles of the stuff to make this new creation.

This buzzy new product is called slime, and it's become the hottest new trend among children as of the past few months, the Wall Street Journal reported. The report noted that Elmer's glue sales doubled in December as the slime trend first gained mainstream popularity, and Elmer's has since increased its glue production to meet the increased demand. That's because you need a full bottle of Elmer's liquid glue to make your own slime, and online slime creators have posted several variations that encourage viewers to create different-colored, or different-textured slimes.

The basics of making your own slime is very simple. You just combine a bottle of Elmer's glue with water and borax, then knead the gelatinous byproduct until it forms a kind of gooey Play-Doh. A bunch of social media and YouTube accounts have popped up recently to give their own tutorials on creating different kinds of slimes, most of which involve adding food coloring to the glue to change the slime's color, or including cornstarch to increase the thickness of the slime. Several people will also add glitter or other small crafting supplies to create unique-looking slimes.

It's really anyone's guess as to why this trend only got big a few months ago. Elmer's has actually had a YouTube tutorial teaching people how to make slime online for nearly seven years now. I guess that 2010 video just didn't have the pizazz that young YouTubers and Instagrammers added to the whole slime-making process.

For whatever reason, it appears that right now is the prime time for slime. I guess it's a good thing that the hot new toy is something that kids can make for themselves, and turns out to be relatively cheap (as long as you can find a store that still has some glue in stock). It actually does look like it would be pretty fun to smoosh around and play with, too. Okay, I guess I'm on board with this whole slime thing in theory, but I think I'll abstain from making my own --- more Elmer's glue left in the store for you slime-obsessed kids.