True Colors

Scooby-Doo, where are you? At the recent California Gift Show in Los Angeles, the wonderpooch was declared by one exhibitor to be "the hit of the show." Here's a rundown of what else caught our eye at the winter event:

2000 or Bust: Following on the heels of millennium countdown clocks are "official" champagne glasses to toast the new century...

License to Sell: Perennial favorites Betty Boop and Curious George contrasted with unlikely properties like Tony the Tiger...

Card Sharp: Greeting cards go interactive with the inclusion of pre-paid phone cards that enable recipients to return sentiments to the senders...

Beanie Backlash? T-shirts heralding the "Beanie Ford Clinic" signal a market for fed-up folks...

Yeah, Baby: Austin Powers tie-in products were spied as well...

Dog Days: Exhibitors say cat-themed merchandise still ranks way behind canines--and we're not just referring to the plush Taco Bell Chihuahuas on hand...

This article was originally published in the May 1999 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: True Colors.