I'm sure there is a proper name for these creatures. I looked online but the best I could find was "pom pom critters." Take a pom pom, stick googly eyes to the face, put a pair of felt feet on the bottom with an adhesive strip, and add a length of ribbon with some kind of inspirational saying. Boom: annoying pom pom critter craft.
I have been seeing these for sale at arts and crafts shows for decades. I remember an early close encounter with one in seventh grade. They were given out at some kind of school assembly. (Maybe for the D.A.R.E. program?) As she was walking past my best friend, who was seated on the aisle, one of the presenters absent-mindedly peeled off the adhesive backing and stuck one of the pom pom critters on his shoulder.
Cute, sure, but what she failed to realize was that he was wearing his brand new leather bomber jacket - which he had been saving for months to buy. He was furious. The adhesive scar never did come out of the leather. It stood for years as a visible reminder of how dumb this craft is, and how thoughtless people can be.
These are a great example of a craft that is as easy to make as it is pointless. They also have the benefit of being able to use that hot glue gun that you bought and have no real use for. I suppose the ease of creation is what leads people to keep making them. But what are you supposed to do with them? I mean, besides ruining some poor seventh grader's leather jacket.
Sometimes they have magnets on their feet instead of adhesive. This is marginally better, in that at least they don't permanently damage whatever you stick them on. (Be it a random kid's prized jacket, the dashboard of your car, or the edge of your bookshelf.)
Image courtesy Flickr/Mr. Michael Phams
0 comments