Google doodle celebrates the scoubidous — the France knotting craft

This doodle celebrates Scoubidous, a brightly colored yarn that can be knotted to create intricate artwork and designs. On this day in 2015, people from La Chapelle-Saint-Hursin, France, set the record for the longest scoubidou.

Scoubidou’s origins date back to the late 1950s, when it became a trend in France. Families would give their children straps of thin rope to make colorful patterns and knots, using strap weaving techniques that had been taught to them for generations.

Scoubidou has remained popular, but it made a notable comeback in the UK in the mid-2000s. The most well-known threads are flat and colorful, but round and hollow threads also exist. Today, people use this knotting art to make everything from key chains to friendship bands. In some countries, Scoubidou parties have become popular, where children get together to experiment with new thread designs.