One of the hottest trends this past summer is Rainbow Loom bracelets. The beginning of this widely known company started from Cheong Choon Ng, a Malaysian immigrant father with two daughters.

Ng started this craze back in 2010 while trying to excite his daughters by showing he could play with the tiny rubber bands, too. He soon realized that his hands were too big for the project, so he decided to make a board with pins in it to help manipulate the rubber bands. He made a few adjustments and soon enough his daughters started to use the board. Ng’s daughter Teresa suggested that he manufacture his new creation.

Ng’s budget was very limited so production was done in China. Once the shipment of 2,000 pounds of rubber bands arrived at Ng’s home, the kit production began. In each kit there are two plastic boards, 600 multicolored bands, 24 plastic clips, and a hook. They sold the kits online and in some toy stores, but the sales were low. Ng and his two daughters began to make instructional videos for the looms and put them on YouTube. Because of these videos, Ng’s luck turned around. Learning Express Toys, a chain of toy stores with 130 locations, ordered a shipment of the kits and two days later they called back for more. Soon, more and more craft and toy stores placed orders for the looms and demonstrations.

With all this business coming in, Ng quit his job at Nissan and opened a warehouse near his home with 12 staff members. He now has 600 sellers and about 1 million kits sold. The kit is about $15 to $17 dollars. The state with the best sales is New Jersey. There are multiple designs for the looms, such as fishtail, double rhombus, and Liberty Twistz. Fans have now figured out ways to make rings, small bags and other various creations. These little sensations won the 2011 Innovation Honorable Mention Award.

Children and adults are making the bracelets left and right, some make them for family and friends, others make them for charity, and others just for fun. Ng has said that he is working towards making new bands and accessories. Ng has good sales now, but if a competitor comes along, will he be able to keep his reign? For now, Ng continues to make his daughters proud.