Hacky sacks have officially come full circle

You there, in the JNCO jeans, listening to CDs you bought at Sam Goody, have we got news for you: Hacky sacks are back. The small, round, and kickable bean bags are increasingly popping up around the country, making high schools look like the outside of a Pacsun in the 1990s.

Hitting the sack: It’s unclear what initially sparked the revival, but teens in the Northeast have popularized the trend by posting rankings and videos on social media. NPR reported last month that searches for hacky sack:

• Jumped 7,000% on TikTok, year to date.
• Spiked more than 5,000% on Google in one month.

New foothold: The sudden interest has caused a shortage of footbags (which is technically what they’re called, since “Hacky Sack” is a brand name). “Business has exploded,” Bomb Footbags owner Mike Heher told Bloomberg, noting that he tripled the price of one of his bags—from $13 to $34—and it still sold out. Some stores are limiting how many a customer can buy.

Hard habit to kick: Many parents and teachers are grateful for the sack-surgence, since it gets kids off of devices and out socializing with friends.—BC