Military Use
Silly String and similar products have been used by American and British military forces to detect tripwires for explosive booby traps. The string is sprayed over the suspected area, and if the string falls to the ground, no tripwires are present since the string would catch on the tripwires (but is not heavy enough to activate the explosive).
As of 2006 it was being used by U.S. troops in Iraq for this purpose. However, because the material is an aerosol, it cannot be shipped privately to Iraq and it is not provided by official channels. Thus, 80,000 cans were unintentionally stockpiled in New Jersey. In October 2007, a shipping company with the required credentials was finally found.
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