By Editor,Sharon Hunt

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Aussies are only just discovering what nostalgic 90s ‘slap bracelets’ are REALLY made of: ‘Mind is blown’

An Aussie mum’s son broke open up a slap band, revealing a tape measure

READ MORE: The retro 90s diets your mum tried that actually work

By SHARON HUNT, SENIOR LIFESTYLE REPORTER, AUSTRALIA

Published: 01:51 BST, 3 October 2025 | Updated: 01:52 BST, 3 October 2025

Aussies are only just now learning what a popular 90s accessory is made of thanks to the investigative skills of a curious little boy and his mum.

Shannan Dvorak’s six-year-old son recently received a slap band as a party bag favour. As the name suggests, the flexible fad bracelets curl around the wrist when ‘slapped’ against the arm.

Like many other 90s kids, the nostalgic item instantly brought back fond memories for Shannan.

That is, until her son decided to ‘pull the band apart’.

Much to Shannan’s surprise, the inside of a slap band isn’t a piece of bendy plastic like many had thought.

In this case, it was an old rusty tape measure.

‘My son showed me and my mind was blown that it was a tape measure,’ Shannan told Daily Mail.

Stunned at the discovery, she jumped onto her @shannandvorak TikTok account to share a video about it.

@shannandvorak
Anyone else think it was magic? Nope! Just a tape measure 😂😂 #fyp #slapband #tapemeasure #notmagic #mindblown
♬ original sound – Shann 🇦🇺

Shannan Dvorak’s six-year-old son recently received a slap band as a party bag favour. As the name suggests, the flexible fad bracelets curl around the wrist when ‘slapped’ against the arm

‘So everyone remembers slap bands, right? They go around your wrist,’ Shannan said while demonstrating.

‘Well, my six year old son decided to rip open his Pokemon one.

‘It turns out they’re just f***ing cut up tape measures,’ Shannan laughed. ‘This whole time they were just rusty, tape measures put in a cool sleeve.’

‘Here I am thinking they were like some cool f***ing piece of plastic or whatever. Nope.’

While in this case a tape measure was re-purposed, not all slap bands are. However, all of them are made of layered stainless steel.

The video has now notched up over 150,000 views and 7000 likes – with Shannan, the founder of Dvorak & Co Photography, saying she had ‘no idea’ it was going to go viral.

‘I just thought it was funny,’ she said.

Those who replied were either equally as shocked about the discovery of the tape or knew all along.

While in this case a tape measure was re-purposed, not all slap bands are. However, all of them are made of layered stainless steel

‘Ok. I never knew that. How wild,’ one said.

‘I didn’t know this,’ another added.

‘I’m 53 and didn’t know this,’ one person replied.

‘[T]hey were great. My childhood is officially ruined,’ another said.

On the other side of the coin, numerous replies were shocked that Shannan was only just now discovering that there was an old tape measure inside slap bands.

‘Please do not tell me that you are only just now realising and learning that they are just tape measures put in a sleeve,’ read one reply.

‘Didn’t we learn this like 30 years ago?’ added another.

‘I thought this was a well-known fact,’ one more agreed,

A fellow mother, who also grew up in the 90s, sided with Shannan and revealed she too only recently made the discovery when her son pulled his apart.

‘Yes! My son pulled one apart last year and we found the same thing – cut up tape measure,’ she said.

Slap bands first became wildly popular in the 90s, and have remained a beloved childhood accessory toy and come in a range of colours and varieties

Another responded saying that they couldn’t believe so many people had been gatekeeping the secret slap band material.

‘How’s everyone saying they knew this years ago?!’ read one of the comments.

Many chimed in to say that they were impressed with the re-use of an old tape measure, branding it ‘a smart way to recycle’.

Others also felt the inside material offered an explanation for why slap bands ‘hurt’ so much when hit too hard. This also led to some nostalgic recollections about slap bands being banned at certain schools in the 90s.

However, the revelation also inspired some commenters to offer a cautionary message.

Many recounted hurting themselves after breaking the sharp metal tape measure out from its slap band case.

‘Never use one where the cover is broken open. I’ve got a massive scar on my arm from being cut open by one,’ one victim warned.

‘I cut my finger (and not a small cut) on the tape measure while putting it [back] into the sleeve,’ added another.

‘My kids have been cut from opening theirs and playing with the [tape measure]. It’s actually dangerous,’ cautioned a parent.

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Aussies are only just discovering what nostalgic 90s ‘slap bracelets’ are REALLY made of: ‘Mind is blown’

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