A Kandi Kid is a person who exchanges or shares small gifts, primarily beads, necklaces, toys, bracelets or stickers. The bead bracelets are custom made and swapped from person to person when they meet new friends by the kandi kisses, the "kandi kid handshake", or a simple hand off.

The defining aspect of a Kandi Kid's appearance is their wearing of many homemade bracelets made of plastic pony beads, known as Kandi. The bracelets are often given as gifts to remember past raves and commemorate new friendships. Kandi Kids are also known (and sometimes identified) by their brightly colored style. They are often found wearing clothing selected by feel (soft textures being most desirable) and color rather than style, often depicting "trippy" designs, as well as cartoon characters, hair falls, fake dreadlocks

Dreadlocks

Dreadlocks, also called locks, a ras, dreads, "rasta" or Jata , are matted coils of hair. Dreadlocks are usually intentionally formed; because of the variety of different hair textures, various methods are used to encourage the formation of locks such as backcombing...

, childlike attire, chew toy

Chew toy

A chew toy is a toy designed to be chewed by animals for purposes of stimulation and relief from boredom . There are several different types of chew toys, including rawhide, wood, paper and mineral. Chew toys are commonly associated with puppies and dogs, though they are also used for birds,...

s laced on string around their necks, fuzzy gators

Gaiters

Gaiters are garments worn over the shoe and lower pant leg, and used primarily as personal protective equipment; similar garments used primarily for display are spats....

, visor hats, hair clips, and bright makeup.

Kandi Kids frequently believe in P.L.U.R., an acronym for Peace, Love, Unity, and Respect. A variation of P.L.U.R. is P.L.U.R.R., meaning Peace, Love, Unity, Respect, and Responsibility. P.L.U.R.R. was created by ravers who abstain from using ecstacy at raves. Less common is the belief in P.L.E., meaning Peace, Love, and Ecstasy.

Origins of the culture

Kandi Kids can primarily trace their style of fashion to the late 1980s culture and the "Summer of Love

Second Summer of Love

The Second Summer of Love is a name given to the period in 1988-89 in Britain, during the rise of acid house music and the euphoric explosion of unlicensed MDMA -fuelled rave parties...

" in the United Kingdom. Fashion in clubs at the time were primarily day-glo

Blacklight paint

Blacklight ink or blacklight-reactive Ink is ink that glows under a black light, a source of light whose wavelengths are primarily in the ultraviolet. The paint may or may not be colorful under ordinary light...

 colored attire, smiley

Smiley

A smiley, smiley face, or happy face, is a stylized representation of a smiling human face, commonly occurring in popular culture. It is commonly represented as a yellow circle with two black dots representing eyes and a black arc representing the mouth...

 face clothing (fashion also attributed to Acid House

Acid house

Acid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...

 and the corresponding movement) and whistles.

Many spelling variants occur throughout the rave scene when referring to this subculture, although the actual origins of the term are unknown. Use of the term on Usenet

Usenet

Usenet is a worldwide distributed Internet discussion system. It developed from the general purpose UUCP architecture of the same name.Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis conceived the idea in 1979 and it was established in 1980...

 alt.rave shows earliest reference to the spelling "candee", with alternates "kandy", "kandi" or "candi" following later. Another more recent spelling, "khandi", has also been seen on advertisements for some local raves.

Several Hyperreal

Hyperreal

Hyperreal may refer to:* Hyperreal numbers, an extension of the real numbers in mathematics that are used in non-standard analysis* Hyperreality, a term used in semiotics and postmodern philosophy* Hyperrealism, a school of painting...

 mailing lists have posts predating the use on usenet such as this one by Vladimir Katz dated October 21, 1994:
There is debate as to whether Katz referred to edible candy or kandi beads.

Music

Kandi kids listen to a variety of alternative music genres not widely seen outside of their groups. They commonly listen to sub-genres of Electronic Dance Music

Electronic dance music

Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...

 that include but are not limited to Happy Hardcore

Happy hardcore

Happy hardcore, also known as happycore, is a genre of music typified by a very fast tempo , often coupled with solo vocals and sentimental lyrics. Its characteristically 4/4 beat "happy" sound distinguishes it from most other forms of hardcore techno, which tend to be "darker". It is typically in...

, UK Hardcore

UK hardcore

UK Hardcore is a broad term to describe the evolved sound of Happy Hardcore Rave music which emerged around the end of the 1990s and grew in strength during the 21st century...

, Hardstyle

Hardstyle

Hardstyle is an electronic dance genre mixing influences from hardtechno, hard house, hard trance, hardcore and rave music. It is between 148 and 157 bpm in speed and is written in 4/4 time....

, Trance

Trance

Trance denotes a variety of processes, ecstasy, techniques, modalities and states of mind, awareness and consciousness. Trance states may occur involuntarily and unbidden.The term trance may be associated with meditation, magic, flow, and prayer...

, PsyTrance, House

House music

House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...

, Hard House, Electro, and Jungle

Jungle

A Jungle is an area of land in the tropics overgrown with dense vegetation.The word jungle originates from the Sanskrit word jangala which referred to uncultivated land. Although the Sanskrit word refers to "dry land", it has been suggested that an Anglo-Indian interpretation led to its...

. Most of these sub-genres fall under the category of Electronic Dance Music

Electronic dance music

Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...

 with single mixes that can go up to or even surpass two hours in length. Also a popular music genre is Chiptune

Chiptune

A chiptune, also known as chip music, is synthesized electronic music often produced with the sound chips of vintage computers and video game consoles, as well as with other methods such as emulation. In the early 1980s, personal computers became cheaper and more accessible than they had previously...

, consisting of music made from game consoles.

The Making Of

Kandi is generally made of plastic pony beads, occasionally with various other beads made of metal, wood or glass. Hearts, stars, pom-poms, Alphabeads, glow-in-the-dark beads, butterflies and smiley faces are popular choices when making Kandi and are generally made with elastic string to stretch. Kandi Kids will sometimes hold parties just for the sake of making Kandi, generally as gifts for friends.
Kandi has four main functions:

Visual Aspect

Kandi is usually made up of very bright day-glo

Blacklight paint

Blacklight ink or blacklight-reactive Ink is ink that glows under a black light, a source of light whose wavelengths are primarily in the ultraviolet. The paint may or may not be colorful under ordinary light...

 colors chosen to enhance the visual effects created when someone dances while wearing them and being illuminated by different types and colors of light. The sequence of colors chosen will sometimes appear jumbled and somewhat random, but the beads are typically chosen to contrast with other beads, making them visually jump out. Some beads will also be UV reactive

Fluorescence

Fluorescence is the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation of a different wavelength. It is a form of luminescence. In most cases, emitted light has a longer wavelength, and therefore lower energy, than the absorbed radiation...

 or glow in the dark

Phosphorescence

Phosphorescence is a specific type of photoluminescence related to fluorescence. Unlike fluorescence, a phosphorescent material does not immediately re-emit the radiation it absorbs. The slower time scales of the re-emission are associated with "forbidden" energy state transitions in quantum...

. Because of the vast amounts of Kandi that are worn, typically not all pieces will fit onto the raver's arm. Sometimes a shoelace or string, tied to a raver's waist or backpack, is used to hold all the Kandi.

Tactile Aspect

The tactile

Somatosensory system

The somatosensory system is a diverse sensory system composed of the receptors and processing centres to produce the sensory modalities such as touch, temperature, proprioception , and nociception . The sensory receptors cover the skin and epithelia, skeletal muscles, bones and joints, internal...

 aspect is the way the kandi feels on the arm. With the kandi usually being tight in nature, the person wearing them can constantly feel the bracelets on their arms, thus enhancing the touch sensitive part of ecstacy intoxication. Another person may rub their hands on the wearer's Kandi, producing a pleasing feeling for both. Two ravers may rub their kandi together, creating a noise and effect called "kandi kisses". After a rave, when a raver removes their kandi, imprints may be left in the skin where circulation has been disrupted; this effect is commonly called "kandi cancer".

Emotional, Sentimental, Or Nostalgic Aspect

In most cases, beyond its aesthetic worth, there is a memory or sentiment that can be tied to each Kandi. Kandi can be a link to a memory of a friend, place, action, party/rave or feeling. There is also the fact that at some points when someone mentions a particular Kandi the wearer has the chance to share the story behind it to the other person. In general, it is frowned upon to trade Kandi that has been "gifted" to a raver.

Social Aspect

The fourth aspect of Kandi is a gift that a raver will give or swap with new friends, and new ravers they have just met. This action expands the raver's social network and allows them to know more people.

On Giving Kandi Away

When Kandi bracelets are exchanged, there is usually a series of hand gestures symbolizing the units of "PLUR

PLUR

Peace Love Unity Respect, commonly shortened with PLUR, is a credo or mantra of the rave culture. Many in the rave scene have heard this term at some time or another, although its common usage is relatively recent. Early 1990s and mid-1980s ravers often followed similar principles as did the...

" - Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. The gesture for Peace is to form a peace sign with your index and middle fingers and touch to the fingers of the person receiving the kandi. The gesture for Love is to form a heart by curving your fingers and thumb with the person who is receiving the kandi. The gesture for Unity is to place your palm vertically on the palm of the person who is receiving the kandi. The gesture for Respect is to weave your fingers into the fingers of the person who is receiving the kandi. Then the kandi bracelet is transferred from the owners wrist to the wrist of another, symbolizing the beginning of a friendship.

Other Types Of Kandi

Aside from typical single-stranded bracelets there are many other kinds of bracelets, jewelry and other accessories that are sometimes made:

The Kandi Cuff

Kandi cuffs are multi-stranded kandi bracelets made out of hundreds or even thousands of beads. There are many types of kandi cuffs, but two of the types that are most commonly seen at raves are multi stitch and 3D. Multi-stitch kandi cuffs are flat cuffs that feature patterns or pictures, often of cartoon characters. 3D kandi cuffs are cuffs which have layer upon layer of beads, making the bracelet very thick and often heavy. When the kandi cuff gets beyond a certain size, it's often referred to as an epic cuff. In recent years, epic cuffs have become more and more common in the rave scene, as have multi-stitch cuffs due to sites that offer free "kandi patterns." The increasing popularity of pattern websites and websites that teach how to make different kinds of kandi cuffs is testimony to the growing popularity of kandi cuffs, and a glance through photo albums on raver websites reveal that almost all ravers now choose to wear cuffs over single-stranded bracelets.

The Kandi Necklace

One very common variation is the Kandi Necklace. Kandi necklaces are made the same way as the bracelets except they are often much larger. The necklaces are not always made with the elastic string. Sometimes, instead of stretchy string, regular cotton, tweed

Tweed (cloth)

Tweed is a rough, unfinished woolen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is made in either plain or twill weave and may have a check or herringbone pattern...

, hemp

Hemp

Hemp is mostly used as a name for low tetrahydrocannabinol strains of the plant Cannabis sativa, of fiber and/or oilseed varieties. In modern times, hemp has been used for industrial purposes including paper, textiles, biodegradable plastics, construction, health food and fuel with modest...

 or leather string is used. The necklaces sometimes have a whistle or binky

Binky

Binky may refer to:* A stuffed animal or similar toy for small children* A brand name for a pacifier, used to comfort infants or small children* A blanket, used to keep infants or small children warm* A kind of twisting jump made by a rabbit at play...

(pacifier) strung or hung on them. The binky is often used to chew on so not to engage in teeth grinding in response to ecstasy use; however, some kandi kids wear them only as an accessory. The whistle is used to produce a tweeting sound sometimes along with the rhythm of the music.

The Kandi Ring

A less common type of kandi is the Kandi Ring. It is made in the same way as the other types however it is meant to fit only the finger. It is most commonly used when a "marriage" is performed. When two ravers become close friends, and are somewhat interested in each other, they can get "married" and are from then on each other's "rave-husband" or "rave-wife".

The Kandi Anklet

Another is the Kandi Anklet. It is of the same fashion as the Kandi Bracelet but is worn on the ankle.

General Kandi Information

It is possible to make kandi hoodies, shirts, corsets, dresses, shorts, headbands, scrunchies, hair pieces, crowns, hats, arm warmers, gloves, leg warmers, skirts, bandanas, masks, bags, and cup holders (along with many other things).

Kandi is sometimes consider to be drug related, especially if there is a pacifier or an item you could hide pills in (i.e. rubber ducky).