BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) —They fit snugly around your wrist, are in the shapes of your favorite animals or objects and are so popular in Birmingham that they’re difficult to find on store shelves.

They’re called Silly Bandz, and they have been wrapped around the wrists of people — mainly those in elementary, middle and high school — since they made their debut in the Birmingham area at the end of last year, according to April Mraz, the owner of Silly Bandz City, a kiosk that recently opened at the Riverchase Galleria. The demand for the bracelets has been growing ever since.

“We started selling them in March,” said Kari Crawford of Learning Express in Pinnacle Square. “We sold about 10 packs a day and then it went to 12 and now we sell about 500 a day.”

Silly Bandz are rubber bracelets that come in six different styles: zoo animals, sea creatures, shapes, pets, dinosaurs and swimsuit.

They come in many colors and bounce back to their original shape after they are taken off.

Finding the bracelets on store shelves can be difficult.

Unless they are sold out, the bracelets are found at most Learning Express stores around Birmingham for around $4.99 per 24 pack.

Mraz sends e-mail updates to eager costumers about which and how many of each style is in stock.

The shapes styles, which includes bracelets shaped like dollar signs, hearts and stars, have recently become the most popular because it is so hard to find, said Mraz. However, the zoo style, consisting of animals such as giraffes, elephants and squirrels, is consistently in demand.

Kandace Griffin, 17, of Gardendale, split her first pack of animal bracelets with her cousin because she “fell in love with the hippo.”

Rachel Jackson of Birmingham got her first bracelet from a friend. “I just thought they were cute,” she said.

These fashionable rubber bands, surprisingly, appeal to both boys and girls, said Mraz and Crawford.

“They take them off and they play games with them and trade them and they see what colors they can get,” Crawford said. “They just play with them.”

They play with them so much that they can sometimes be disruptive. Some schools in Tennessee have banned Silly Bandz, but spokeswomen for Birmingham city schools and Jefferson County schools say that they don’t know of that happening in this area.

People track Silly Bandz availability on Facebook and other Web sites, and the bracelets are also available at sillybandz.com