from her childhood a favorite book titledIn His Steps,
written by Christian novelist Charles Sheldon in 1896.
In the novel, Sheldon introduces the story of a
church congregation whose faith is challenged by a
sickly and destitute stranger. The vagabond addresses
and transfixes the congregants with a speech that in-
cludes the probing question, “But what would Jesus
do?” In response to the dying man’s query, several
members of that fictional church pledge to live their
lives for a year by weighing significant actions with the
question, “What would Jesus do?”
Reverend Tinklenberg, intrigued by the novel’s
central question, enlisted the assistance of a fellow
church member with merchandising experience to
design an inexpensive product that would bear the
WWJD initials. In assessing the type of product that
would best suit her purpose, Tinklenberg opted to
use wristbands to draw upon the high interest in self-
made braided friendship bracelets popular with
youth at that time. Tinklenberg’s initial trepidation
about how the wristbands would be received by her
youth group was soon allayed when the teens began
asking for more wristbands to replace those they were
giving away. To keep up with the demand for this nov-
elty item that was being promoted by word of mouth,
the local manufacturer was soon producing several
hundred bracelets per week. Some years later, that
production soared to about twenty thousand per
week after the bracelets were afforded broader expo-
sure at a Christian bookshop convention.
Impact Despite its low-key beginning, the WWJD
bracelet would become a fashionable adornment
for Christian youth of the 1990’s, particularly those
with evangelical ties. While originally conceived to
be a tool to encourage responsible personal conduct
and for introducing others to one’s faith, the brace-
lets evolved into an entrepreneurial bonanza, spur-
ring the development and marketing of a host of
ancillary products. By opting not to be a party to
these commercial ventures, inventor and trademark
holder Tinklenberg did not receive the financial
gains that resulted from the success of the WWJD
products. In recent years, a number of secular and ir-
religious takeoffs on the WWJD initialism have sur-
faced, promoting everything from distilled spirits to
presidential candidates.Further Reading
Graff, Vincent. “Four Letters That Shook the
World.”The Independent, August 1, 2003, p. 2-3.
Jenkinson, Michael. “Put on Your Wristband and
Follow Me.”Alberta Report24, no. 27 (June 16,
1997): 36.
“WWJD Products Inspire Thousands.”Christianity
Today41, no. 13 (November 17, 1997): 75.
David L. DeHartSee also Fads; Fashions and clothing; Inventions;
Religion and spirituality in Canada; Religion and
spirituality in the United States.946 WWJD bracelets The Nineties in America