Many students, especially seniors, are participating in the trend of bringing a children’s
backpack to school instead of the typical backpack. This includes bags with vibrant colors, cartoon characters, and frivolous designs. According to “Why some high school seniors are going back to school with kindergarten backpacks?” by USA Today, the trend was kickstarted by a viralTikTok video posted by user @tamialanaee, in which high school students wear backpacks with Marvel, Disney, and Nickelodeon characters to school.
Some students want to emphasize the full-circle-moment of graduating from high school, ending a big
chapter in most students’ lives. This fad is present at MHS as well, with approximately 8% of
157 respondents reporting that they bring a children’s backpack to school, according to a survey
conducted by The Union.
Senior Katie Leng, who brings a Hello Kitty backpack to school, is one participant in this trend, she
said. “It’s a fun little tradition,” Leng said. “I like how it’s reminiscent of our childhood as we’re going into
our senior year. We’re going to graduate, so it’s like a throwback to when we were kids.”
Leng was inspired to take part in this trend by online videos and past seniors who she saw participating in it, she said.
“Sometimes underclassmen are confused and ask, ‘Why do you have a kids backpack on?’ Just
because I’m a senior and it’s fun,” Leng said. However, some students do not have a specific reason for taking part in the trend, such as senior Jeffrey Doria who wears a Spiderman backpack to school.
Unlike most people who wear kids’ backpacks, Doria was not influenced by any of his friends, and he is the only one in his friend group participating, he said. “I was just in Staples, and I bought it because it was the only thing there and also because I like Spiderman,” he said.
Even students in lower grades, such as junior Jinyu Zhou, have noticed this trend, she said. Zhou does not currently bring a children’s backpack to school, but plans to participate in her senior year next year, she added. Zhou hopes to find a Lighting McQueen backpack that matches her Crocs, she said. However, she is still taking rigorous classes next year, so her main concern would be finding one that fits all her belongings,
she added. “I think the trend is really cute, and it’s been here for a while,” Zhou said. “I personally don’t have one because I think only seniors should have it, and it’s kind of impractical for me because I
carry textbooks.”
This is the main concern with this trend, which explains why seniors with lighter course loads are mainly taking part in using these school bags, as more of an accessory. Senior Alexys Nicolas used to bring a kids’ backpack to school, but the bag breaking caused her to stop using it, she said.
“My rigorous course load doesn’t allow me to use that backpack,” Nicolas said. “I have to carry so much homework, it just ripped from the bottom.”
This trend has proven to be a fun tradition for the senior classes. Every year brings unique types of backpacks, and they don’t seem to be going away anytime soon.