Rainbow Loom

[2] It has push pin-type pegs over which small, coloured rubber bands are looped and pulled by a rainbow loom crochet hook.

[7] In summer 2012, Ng received his first store orders from franchises of Learning Express Toys, a specialty crafts chain, and sales picked up.

[8] In April 2014, Ng released a travel-sized version of the Rainbow Loom called the Monster Tail, which allows simple bracelets to be made on only eight pegs, arranged in a rectangle.

It also comes with an instruction manual with pixelated grids for users to photocopy, cut out, measure around the wrist, and design the patterns themselves, with pictures and letters to spell words.

[2] In November 2013 third-graders at St. John the Worker school in Orefield, Pennsylvania participated in a "Rainbow Loom-a-thon", weaving rubber-band bracelets for cancer patients.

[16] In October 2013 two New York City schools banned Rainbow Loom bracelets, stating they were distracting students in the classroom and breeding animosity in the playground.

[17] Two Orlando, Florida schools have also enforced strict rules on wearing and trading Rainbow Loom bracelets.

[21] In August 2013 Ng filed suit against Zenacon LLC, makers of FunLoom; LaRose Industries LLC, makers of Cra-Z-Loom; and Toys "R" Us, distributors of Cra-Z-Loom, alleging that the rival products copied the design of the C-shaped fasteners used in rubber-band jewelry-making on the Rainbow Loom.

[3] In August 2014, LaRose challenged Choon's patent and filed the first-ever post-grant review proceeding brought under the America Invents Act.

[22] In some of the knock-off versions, high levels of the carcinogenic substance phthalate have been found, in some cases well above the allowed limit in children's toys in Europe.

British investigators found phthalate levels over 400 times the legal limit, and several toy stores have removed these products.