A Wichita State graduate is the creator of one of the world’s hottest new toys — the Rainbow Loom.

Cheong Choon Ng (pronounced Ung), who came to the United States from Malaysia in 1991, graduated from WSU with a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

The winner of many toy-of-the-year awards in 2013, the Rainbow Loom is a kid-friendly version of a loom, which is a device that helps to weave threads.

The Rainbow Loom is targeted to younger children, but people of all ages have been creating a wide variety of items with the small rubber bands the toy uses.

The inspiration for the Rainbow Loom came from Ng’s daughters, who made jewelry out of rubber bands.

But the toy wasn’t an immediate hit like some other popular toys of the past. It sold poorly in its early stages because of its complicated nature.

Ng posted video tutorials on the toy’s website, and sales finally picked up last year.

A quick look at the Rainbow Loom shows how it can be intimidating. Users stretch small rubber bands around pegs on a board, and then use the included hook to twist and shape the rubber bands around each other in various ways.

Fortunately, Ng isn’t the only one to post video tutorials online. There are YouTube videos instructing users how to create anything from the simple, but popular, bracelets to convoluted rubber band purses.

Even though many of the unique creations often require multiple steps repeated dozens of times, the Rainbow Loom appeals to young children because of its bright, colorful rubber bands and the social aspect of creating things together and sharing ideas.

Ng now lives in Michigan while his brother, Yeow, runs the toy’s online store from Wichita.