If you’re a member of the Millenial or Gen Z generations, the autumn of 2024 might be feeling a little... familiar.
There was the Britney Spears mania at this year’s VMAs. There’s the return of the iconic 2000s BBC show Balamory to look forward to next year, too.
And now, it seems a certain noughties craft is being searched more and more on Google ― as we settle into the colder months, people forced indoors by the weather are looking up scoubidou patterns.
What exactly is a scoubidou?
If you weren’t part of a preteen group that obsessively made keychains, little animals and bracelets out of plastic strings, you might not be familiar with the term.
Scoubidous, also known as scoobies, boondoggles, Scooby Doos, or skoobies, started as a trend in early 2000s France, though the BBC adds it may have its true origins in the hundreds-of-years-old tradition of Chinese knotting.
You take some Scoubi strings, which are plastic threads, and form a series of knots to form a 3D shape.
Basic knots include square, circle, triangle, box and butterfly types. You can also weave beads and other trinkets into the patterns too.
The craft has appeared in multiple TikToks too, including a recent video from creator @laurdiy that’s been viewed over half a million times.
The TikToker said she made a lanyard using the method just to see if she still had the skills from her schoolyard days.
“I don’t think I realised just how easy it was to make friends, especially in summer camp, simply because I knew how to start these f*ckers,” she said.
So who’s picking up the hobby?
A lot of comments under the TikTok were from Millennial and Gen Z app users who were either reminiscing about their playground past or seeking a tutorial.
It makes sense ― research from the Association for Creative Industries found that 41% of crafters were millennials in 2018, Forbes reports.
Meanwhile marketing company Media Culture says that 29% of Gen Z consumers were interested in crafting.
Of course, the trend is perfect for little ones too ― the screen-free, relatively low-mess activity is ideal for bored primary and secondary schoolers, though.
Perhaps the most difficult part of watching them take part in the trend will be resisting the urge to utter that famous Chronicles Of Narnia line; “Do not cite the Deep Magic to me, Witch. I was there when it was written.”