All-New Casts
 Wanna
sign it? Commissioning friends’ John Hancocks used to be the
only way for kids to brighten up an otherwise dull white cast.
Now, the plaster badges of courage come in splashy colors and
wild designs – from pictures of soccer players and skiers to drawings
of dogs, cats, and dinosaurs. Some even feature sports-team logos
and, yes, those sewer-dwelling friends of kid everywhere, the
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The colorful casts, which are made
from a preprinted fiberglass mesh, aren’t just more fun for kids
to show off –they
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have  practical
benefits, too. According to Mason Solosabal, a casting specialists
at Children’s Hospital in Seattle, the casts help stop newly
injured kids’ tears and motivate even the wildest after-school
warriors to treat their immobilized limbs more carefully. These
days, kids Solosabal treats choose flashy casts. If Jessica
Starck is typical, it’s not hard to understand the designer
bandages’ appeal. Reports the Chula Vista, California, nine-year-old,
who recently sported a bright green-and-yellow model: "All
my friends wanted to have broken legs, too."
Glenda Wheeler
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