Slime has made its way into the halls of America's schools and into the hands of its children. In schools across the country, teens and middle-schoolers are making their own homemade slime and selling it to their classmates.
The exact scope of the tween-dominated ~slime market~ is unknown, but social media suggests that it's vast and international. There are over a million posts for #slime on Instagram alone.
How-to tutorials have flooded the internet and it's relatively simple to make. One of the simplest slimes requires only two ingredients: glue and borax.
Lani Whitmer, a 12-year-old from California, told BuzzFeed News that the market at her school is flooded.
"There's a lot of other people who sell slime and it's really annoying because then you don't get as many customers as you want," she said.
She sells her slime for a dollar an ounce, sometimes less.
Hanna Romine Marckx, a 12-year-old schoolmate of Lani's, echoed her sentiment. "You want to have the best slime and the best prices," she said. "I sold my slime cheap compared to other people; my slime was half their price."
Currently, the tween's side hustle is on hold. "I actually recently just stopped selling slime because I wanted to focus on my school work," she said.
However, her slime Instagram account is still active.
Sarah Hansen, a 13-year-old at a different school in California, said that the market at her school is similarly difficult. "Lots of competitors," she said.
She thinks slimes help kids deal with the day-to-day. "Lots of people sell slime and use it as a stress reliever," Sarah said.
The slime trade at her school isn't dominated by those who are popular, but by those who have the best product.
"It's the best slime," she said.
Sarah sells her slimes for $3 and she likes any that are "fluffy and stretchy."
But slime isn't only for middle-schoolers. Phoebe Koyabe, 16, from Arizona, has been selling slime for seven months.
"I tend to obsess over the senses," Phoebe said. "I like squishing things and touching soft things."
The teen moves some of her product online.
"I usually charge 12 bucks if you include shipping," she said.
In person, the terms are different — she typically barters.
"It's usually a slime for a slime," she said.
And this Montreal-based seller named Janis Tsichlis is 23.
"It's become a passion and a wonderful hobby," she said.