In the 1950s, lanyards began to be made in France as a fad. The practice of making the lanyards for sale was named Scoubidou, after the cartoon dog, Scooby Doo. Another version of the name says it originated with a French singer, Sacha Distel, whose first hit in 1958 was with a song by this name.
It was originally started as a way of providing something for children to do and see the result of their labors. They were also called boondoggles. The lanyards were made from strips that were called gimps. This art is still very much alive in France.
The lanyards were made by tying a variety of knots. They included cobra, square, staircase butterfly, spiral and double spiral knots. The result is a fancy lanyard that can be attached to a variety of items. They are a little bulkier than a typical lanyard.
This practice has recently regained popularity in 2004 and 2005 and uses commercial manufactured strips of plastic. There are a couple of different kinds of materials used for Scoubidou. They are usually either flat or round and hollow. They are available in various colors. Due to the elasticity of the hollow type, they are easier to shape and when pulled the knots that are used to tie them are stronger and tighter.
Some of the knots that are used to make the lanyards are variations of knots that were used n macramé. This is a project that is often used at summer camps and other activities that are enjoyed by children and arts and crafts lovers. The most commonly used for key chain order lanyards are square knots. This uses two strands and crosses opposite ends followed by using the other ends to go over the first and under the second string.
If a heavier key chain is desired, a double square knot or a triple square knot is used. There are designs that can be made using this technique, including trees, hearts, flags, penguins, dragonflies and animals. They are usually the type that children like to attach to their backpack or girls will attach to a purse.
The cobra, staircase and butterfly are other designs that can be created using different methods of tying knots. The cobra uses three strands that are tied around two other strands. The staircase is made by trying one strand around another or more than one. Depending on the number of strands that are used to begin, the larger the staircase will be when finished.
The butterfly is made by pulling one loop through another and then pulling the one that the first loop went through. They are twisted creating the butterfly. There are a number of different designs that have been developed allowing those who enjoy this craft a wide choice of creations.
Although it was typically a children’s craft, many adults enjoy making these low cost lanyards as gifts. Depending on what is being made users will choose from a variety of colors for the lanyard to enhance the animal, insect or other object.