They are going back in time.
Local high-school seniors may be on the threshold of adulthood — dating, driving and applying to colleges — but they're opting for very childish bookbags to take to school.
Bags decorated with Disney characters and other children's cartoons have become mandatory for the final year of secondary education.
“Everyone is involved — it's a really cute thing,” said Jaden Lipschultz, a 17-year-old high school senior from Westchester who is walking to class with a Little Mermaid backpack. “The fact that everyone does it makes it even better.”
For years, this Disney fan has dressed up as the mermaid Ariel for birthday parties and Halloween. Her third birthday theme was “The Little Mermaid.”
“Her love for Ariel is genuine and longstanding,” her mother, Ilyssa Lipschultz, said.
For the past few years, the younger Lipschultz has admired upper-grade students wearing backpacks emblazoned with Disney princesses, Marvel superheroes and Dora the Explorer, and is eager to take part in the trend herself.
“I knew I had to go [an Ariel backpack] for my senior year,” she told The Post.
Friends often coordinate themes to create the perfect photo opportunity (and social media content).
Lipschultz's friend group divided up cult favorite characters such as Elsa, Belle, Moana, Minnie Mouse, Sofia the First, and the Care Bears such that each had a separate group.
The tradition of students wearing baby backpacks in their final year of high school has been around for years but is becoming increasingly popular, thanks in part to social media.
Teens on TikTok and Instagram flaunt their immaturity under hashtags like #senioryear and #seniorbackpacks.
“Since the pandemic, this has been a big thing,” said Manhattan resident Aries Wickham, 17. He said the trend is driven by nostalgia.
“It's senior year, it's your last year and recreating kindergarten pictures is a big deal when you're taking your senior year pictures,” she said, adding that students often put old and current pictures side by side in the yearbook.
Since uniforms are mandated at her public school in the city, Wickham said the backpack is also a major tool for self-expression.
because of ” [our uniforms]”People want to have more fun with other things,” Wickham said.
She's waiting until her school announces the annual concert — which is usually revealed the first week of school — before she commits to a themed bag.
Last year’s musical play was “SpongeBob SquarePants,” and the absorbent animated character was a popular choice for backpacks at her school.
Some teens can't wait for their final year.
For Rose Altschuler, a Long Island resident beginning her junior year, a family trip to Disneyland over the summer cost her $55.Mickey Mouse and Friends Travel Backpack,
She's wearing it proudly, even if this isn't her last year.
He said, “I get that some people don't like wearing a character backpack, but I believe, 'If you want a character backpack, you should wear it and not care what other people think.'”
