Silly String may be best known as a fun addition to any party, but has also taken on a new role in the United States military. Troops can use Silly String to detect any tripwires, triggering mechanisms, or alarms. The product, also known as party string or aerosol string, can reach up to ten or twelve feet, which allows soldiers to shoot it across an open space before entering. They can tell if there is a tripwire or trap if the string remains hanging in the air instead of falling to the ground.
Many civilians have learned about this newfound use of Silly String and made it their mission to help out. Throughout 2006 and 2007, a woman in New Jersey collected over 80,000 cans of Silly String to send to Iraq. Upon finding out that only a limited number of companies could ship the product, due to the aerosol can it comes in, a company in the woman’s local area got in contact with her and agreed to ship the cans to Iraq. Another shipment was sent to Baghdad throughout the waiting period. The packages were labeled with names of individual soldiers, one of whom was the woman’s son.