Red tape on Silly String may be unraveled

Red tape holding up a Silly String shipment to U.S. troops in Iraq appears resolved more than a year after a New Jersey mom tried to send the cans to her son.

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"They told me they're going to pick it up," Marcelle Shriver said of the shipping service. "They just haven't given me a date and time."

Shriver's son, Todd, stationed in Ramadi, had asked for the novelty to be included in a care package, but a restriction on sending aerosol cans by mail or delivery service led to a shipping snafu, Gloucester County (N.J.) Times reported Monday.

Even though troops use the foamy string to help detect explosive devices' tripwires when clearing buildings, military officials won't transport the cans because Silly String isn't standard issue, the newspaper said.

The company told Shriver it was would collect the cans she gathered, but the pickup at the Deptford location was delayed because of paperwork. Shriver said the person contacted her after reading about her dilemma late last month. Shriver said she's optimistic her efforts will be successful.

"The gentleman seems genuine," Shriver said. "He said he was going to take care of everything."