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Mardi Gras beads travel around the world to land in our hands (and trees).
Plastic and metallic beads are manufactured in China and travel by ship to California. They ride the train to New Orleans and arrive at Plush Appeal – The Mardi Gras Spot, where shipments are broken down into individual items that are re-packaged, labeled, palletized and delivered to each krewe’s den or loading area.
Extraordinary manpower and forklifts load the throws onto the floats, where they await their respective riders who toss them into our hands. Check out the infographic above to see the beads’ full journey.
– Sarah H. Centorino, The New Orleans 100