Not So Silly String

It's messy. It's dangerous. It sticks to your hair.

It's silly string, and it's now illegal to possess the pressurized party favor on the streets of Hollywood, at least during Halloween celebrations.

All the hubbub associated with this bold legislative stroke led LAist to launch an investigation into the pontential hazards posed by silly string. In other words, what the hell is silly string, and is it really dangerous?

One Google search later, we unearthed this fact sheet that unequivocally states, "we don't really know what it is" and "kinda sorta, if you eat it or spray it in your eyes". (Click here for another in-depth investigation into the nature of silly string).

Since people do, apparently, find it edifying to squirt each other in the eye during Halloween celebrations, maybe it is best to remove the temptation once and for all. And we can all understand the negative environmental effects of silly string floating around Santa Monica Bay. Maybe silly string is more dangerous than we ever realized, an imminent threat to our well-being, hiding in plain sight on the shelves of 99 Cent Only stores all across the Southland.

Perhaps City Councilman Tom LaBonge was right when he said: "It's not silly at all."