Byron Center — For many students, back-to-school shopping isn’t complete without picking out a new backpack to represent their favorite color or style for the year.
Younger kids typically make a beeline for backpacks adorned with characters from popular books and TV shows, like “Sesame Street,” or “Paw Patrol,” while older kids seek designer labels and solid colors.
Now, however, older students are harkening back to their preschool and kindergarten days and grabbing for the same backpacks — and other accessories — as their younger counterparts. They are jumping on a nostalgic trend, shared on social media over the past few years, that has students remembering their old favorite toys and cartoons with childlike pride.
On her last first day of school, Byron Center High School senior Hayley Dickey wore a Sonic the Hedgehog backpack, complete with a matching lunchbox and color-coordinated outfit.
“I already got the bag, and then I knew I needed the lunchbox. Then I found the shirt and the earrings and it all came together,” she said.
Hayley’s ensemble also featured red, blue and yellow nails, eyeshadow and Sonic earrings.
Her friend and fellow senior Grayson Schneider similarly chose a new backpack based on a favorite childhood character, Strawberry Shortcake.
“It makes us feel like little kids again,” Grayson said.
Hayley added, “It was fun to remember things from our childhood and what it was like to be a little kid and always wanted to pick out backpacks with our favorite characters on them.”
Senior Emma English chose a backpack covered in characters from the Peanuts gang and painted her “class of 2027” jeans to match.
“I used to read the Peanuts comics with my grandpa and he always had clippings pinned up on the fridge,” she said. “Snoopy is my favorite character, so he inspired the design on my jeans.”
Some students, like Mason Triplett, had hoped to find a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle backpack, one of his favorite childhood TV shows, but his search was not successful.
“The store didn’t have that one, so I picked out the Spider-Man bag myself,” he said.
In Kent County, organizations like Kent School Services Network, Storehouse of Community Resources and Heart of West Michigan United Way help students find their favorite backpacks. The organizations collect donations all year long to provide school supplies for students to start the school year with confidence.
Read more from Byron Center:
• Starting a new school year on the right foot, in the right shoes
• ‘Art gives me a voice,’ award-winning cartoonist says
