Help settle a debate (trivial!)

[badger2005]

Hundreds and thousands - when you were growing up, were they little balls or little strands?

Balls

Strands for me!

strands

definitely strands in my world

the silver balls are 'dragees'

Strands. The balls were different. But brown/chocolate strands were vermicelli

Strands here, and only those or silver balls as options
Is it something to do with generations?
I’m older than some (in my 50’s) and seem to remember the names changing at some point, also the introduction of “sprinkles” as an alternative
How old are you ‘balls’ people?

Strands!

When googled both come up but definitely mixed colours

so not the silver dragees of my (long ago) youth

I'm with you @Thighdentitycrisis, we're a similar age.

Balls. You can also find packets of ‘hundreds and thousands sugar strands’ but proper ones are (originally) balls.

Both
Separately though.
Although he 27th no The strands were used most often.
The silver balls are the hardest substance known to man. Look good but inedible.
My dcs always call them sprinkles.
My favourites are the things made from sugarpaper which decorate cakes.

Ooooh ‘nonpareils’
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nonpareils

‘Sprinkles’ is the US term.

Auto correct!

We always had multi coloured when I was a child.

Strands however chocolate strands were called vermicelli.

Strands!

Balls! Strands were called sugar strands.

The incoming data is complex... I'll need to make a chart.
I wish I had asked for your ages so we could see if there is a trend (my guess, strands gives way to balls as age decreases).
I'm 46 and I say strands. The options for decorating fairy cakes were only: h&t (strands!); the hard silver balls; jelly triangles/lemon or orange slices/parma violets.

strands

strands. and you only saw then in birds trifle packets or occasionally the ice-cream man would put them on your 99-er.

45
Leeds (I think area may have a bearing)

And they are STRANDS!!!!

@barbedwired

The strands are sprinkles

Yes!

Balls.

But strands are now sold as hundreds and thousands, so it's no wonder people are confused.

Hundreds and thousands were definitely multi coloured strands. Vermicelli is brown strands. Balls, silver or otherwise were just that... balls...

This. Definitely this.

(Age 48)

But strands are now sold as hundreds and thousands, so it's no wonder people are confused

Yes, people are confused. And how long before this turns to violence?

@CormoranStrike

Balls, cos the strands are vermicelli

Nooooo! They were the chocolate strands!