12-Year-Old New Jersey Girl Cashes In On The Slime Craze
NUTLEY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Slime is the hot new craze for kids, and some are even starting to make their own.
CBS2's Cindy Hsu went to slime central in Nutley, New Jersey, where Izzy Vilchez and her friends are going slime crazy. So why is it so popular?
"It's like squishy, and kids like to poke it," Izzy explained.
Her little brother, Sean, said boys like it too.
"It makes like these fart noises," he said.
Recipes for homemade slime have been around for years, but really exploded with social media. On YouTube, there are more than seven million videos on how to make the stuff.
Izzy can do it in 10 minutes, Hsu reported.
"So I'm going to be using just a little bit of Elmer's white glue," she demonstrated.
Then, she adds shaving cream, food coloring and a tiny splash of a mixture of borax and water.
Izzy's slime is paying off, selling for $2 to $4 for each container. And It comes in every color you can imagine.
"I did the holiday boutique at school and made like $700," Izzy said.
She sold out in a few hours, rushed home to make more, and sold out again. Her mother, Janice, was shocked.
"Well she doesn't ask for lunch money anymore, that's for sure," she said.
In just five months, the 12-year-old has made about $2,000. Nearly all of the money goes into her college savings account, with the rest going toward more supplies.
Izzy's now focused on using slime to raise money in honor of her grandfather, who died from lung cancer.
"My grandfather was part of the Navy and he was in the Vietnam War. He died when I was five," she said, tearing up.
She's making purple slime, with the proceeds going to the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life.
"Well purple stands for all the cancers that there are," she said.
Izzy's made such a name for herself, she's been asked to speak to other kids about business at the local library. Her top advice?
"Never be too scared, and to always dream big and don't let anyone stop you from doing what you love," she said.
