Every August, seniors enter that beautiful time of…senior year. College applications, senior sunrise, and car decorating are all key parts of senior year. But one tradition that has emerged over the past few years is ditching those boring old JanSports and Sporting Kids’ backpacks. Whether it’s imprints of Dora the Explorer or Hello Kitty, colorful and glittery backpacks can be seen on the backs of many seniors. 

     The trend emerged around 2021, fueled by TikTok. Quickly turning into a new tradition, the backpacks are a nod to a student’s childhood. These backpacks are the same ones students might have chosen when they were first entering kindergarten and the last ones they wear as they head off to college. 

     “I’m definitely going to get a fun backpack next year,” said junior Lindsey Kang. “I think it’s a cute tradition for senior year and will take me back to my childhood.” 

      The backpack section at Target is filled not only with five-year-old kindergarten students but also with seventeen and eighteen-year-old high school seniors. Shailyn Kuraganti dons a Moana backpack for her senior year.

     “I thought it was cute, because I really like Moana and the movie,” said Kuraganti. “It’s just like a little bit of my childhood as well.” 

    The desire for childhood nostalgia fills teenagers as they enter the last stage of their K-12 school careers. As seniors, students start to participate in school activities for one last time. Silly backpacks bring together seniors as they carry around their favorite childhood characters, providing a “full-circle” moment from childhood to adulthood. 

     “I think [senior year] just reminds me so much of how far we’ve come since freshman or even middle school,” said Kuraganti. 

     Although teenagers are expected to start taking themselves seriously as they enter college, fun backpacks allow them to rebel against these adult expectations and hold onto childhood. Senior year can be bittersweet, and growing up is scary for many, but little things like backpacks allow seniors to reminisce and feel like children one last time.