Clothes with character

Fashion is becoming a natural extension of toys—an extension that savvy toy retailers may want to leverage. From belts to bags to hats and beyond, the next best thing to playing with a favorite character in toy form, is wearing it on pajamas or a T-shirt.

As manufacturers cash in on character-decorated apparel, more consumers welcome the one-stop shopping options for toys and the clothes that go with them.

Lisa Weger, vice president of consumer products for the Cartoon Network, Atlanta, tells Playthings that the new line of Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi apparel for tweens, scheduled for fall 2006 release, is an extension of the toys and television series.

“We're looking to toy awareness pulling in more girls without losing boys,” says Weger. “When it comes to dictating everything, the more available the toys are to the kids, the more enthusiastic kids become. It's incremental if a child sees cool toys with cool clothes.”

The clothing is based on the characters of Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi, about two pop stars who travel from gig to gig and hang out in their hometown of Tokyo. One of the top rated shows on the network, the characters Ami and Yumi are based on two real pop stars from Japan, known as Puffy Ami Yumi.

The line features sportswear by Kids Headquarters, New York, and bags and hats by Accessories Network, Los Angeles. The offering includes denim jackets, knit tops with mesh, jeans, skirts with glitter, tunics with hoods and studded belts. Additional items, like watches, will be manufactured by Fossil, Richardson, Texas.

“This is a first for the Cartoon Network,” Weger tells says. “Puffy has been the biggest group in Japan for the past four years. Their fashion sense stands out. There's a reputation for cutting edge fashion in Japan, and we wanted to integrate that in the products. The live action and fashion we thought was different for the show. The clothes make the whole package.”

Mattel, El Segundo, Calif., will be developing the Hi Hi dolls in addition to an entirely different line of clothing for girls and boys, fashioned after Barbie and Hot Wheels. The fall/winter Mattel collection includes Barbie Autumn Bloom, Barbie Time for Fashion, Barbie Loves Benetton, Hot Wheels and Barbie Mix it Up.

The Autumn Bloom line includes patchwork jackets, skirts and Chanel-esque blazers in natural, muted colors like brown and beige. The Barbie Loves Benetton apparel crosses the ages and the ocean. Retailers can choose from a Paris look consisting of pink puffy bags, or leg warmers and cropped jeans for an urban, New York feel. Matching Barbie dolls will be available in addition to the clothing in the Barbie Loves Benetton line. Boys can wear Hot Wheels sportswear like jeans, hooded sweaters and logo tees.

Barbie has always been a style icon and a classic. And speaking of classics, the new Curious George film, scheduled for release February 2006, will leave retailers with more options than video games, plush and other George toys. Universal Consumer Products, Los Angeles, will launch a new line of Curious George apparel before the scheduled release of the film with tops, tees and other knitwear by 2 Love Inc., New York, and infant, toddler and even pet apparel from PAM GM, Los Angeles. Director Peter Jackson's King Kong will also have a line of apparel from Universal.

Cynthia Modders, senior vice president, Universal Studios consumer products, tells Playthings that the apparel helps kids identify with their favorite characters more, and is sometimes just as important as the actual character toys.

“When you're talking about kids, the market is gravitating toward licensed, character-related product,” says Modders. “It's beyond just toys.

“When people put a tee on, it extends the experience making the intangible, tangible,” she adds.

Universal will work with retailers to develop large merchandising wall displays, coordinate celebrity appearances and special launch parties where exclusive apparel will be available to kids.

Modders says Universal will have a different approach for each brand. “There's a different objective for each property,” she says. “When we're working with King Kong, it's a huge film, so the objective is to extend beyond the film. Whereas with Curious George, which is a classic, we take a step back and think long term to make it last one to two years.”