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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."
One year ago, Congress voted to defund public media, eliminating a critical $1.7 million from our budget every year going forward. But they couldn’t silence us, and we’re not going anywhere. LAist is now 100% community funded and that means we’re taking our future into our own hands and turning to you to keep local reporting strong.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
If this story helped you, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
