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Who are these masked men? Although you might be hard pressed toidentify all the members of the 1970s rock group KISS by name,we'd be willing to bet that their heavily made-up featuresstrike a chord of recognition--or is it fear?--within you. If not,prepare for a refresher course: Hot on the heels of its triumphantreunion tour, KISS is blazing a trail into retail stores in theform of action figures.
Produced by McFarlane Toys in Plymouth, Michigan, the6-and-a-half-inch-tall figures of Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, GeneSimmons and Paul Stanley don't even remotely resemble actionfigure stalwarts such as G.I. Joe. Instead, these extravagantlydetailed likenesses come complete with missile-firing guitars andspear-launching drums. Would you expect anything less from thegroup that wanted to "rock and roll all night and party everyday"?
We thought not. At any rate, KISS' re-emergence speaksvolumes about the continuing appeal of 1970s showmanship. Just goeasy on the pyrotechnics, fellas.
Strawberry Fields
Can you spin gold from strawberries? That's a question wecan't answer--at least, not conclusively. But as Gifts &Decorative Accessories magazine recently reported, strawberriesseem to be packing a powerful punch in the gift industry of late.Could it be because of the nation's fascination with gardening?Or is it a reflection of the continuing popularity of the colorred? Possibly it's a reaction to the somewhat romantic aura ofstrawberries themselves.
It could be any--or all--of these things. We are quite certainof this, however: Strawberry shortcake sure sounds good rightnow.
Most Likely To Succeed
So many kids; so many kid products. With such a vast array ofmerchandise directed toward youngsters, it's not easy topredict which licensed characters will attain fame and fortuneà la Barney. We've chalked up our own list of three hotchildren's properties--and there's nary a purple dinosaurin the bunch.
Something Scarry
It's getting awfully hectic in The Busy World of RichardScarry. The popular children's licensing property that'sbeen charming youngsters for more than 30 years is winning over anew generation of tykes with its animated series airing on Showtimeand Nickelodeon. In addition, Busytown inhabitants such as Huckle,Lowly and Sgt. Murphy (a cat, a worm and a canine police officer,respectively) are featured in books, software, videos, watches,puzzles, apparel and the like. There's even a live showthat's set to tour shopping malls later this year.
"People use the word `brand' fairly loosely [in thisindustry]," says Debbi Petrasek of Viacom Consumer Products inHollywood, the licensing division for Paramount Pictures. "But`The Busy World of Richard Scarry' is definitely a brand--andit's been firmly established."
With 40 book titles planned for release over the next fouryears, Richard Scarry's Busytown shows no signs of a decreasein traffic. What's more, Petrasek is mapping out still moreRichard Scarry projects for the near future. We'll keep youposted.
Turtle Talk
Will kids shell out more of their hard-earned cash (or theirparents') for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles products? They justmight--especially considering the most famous turtles in the landare on the comeback trail.
Yes, we know: It's been a while since these turtles were themost sought-after toys in the land. But if a new live-action series(to air on Fox this fall) isn't enough to get you seeing green,how about the fact the turtles are no longer an all-male team?That's right, a fifth Turtle is suiting up. Grandly named Venusde Milo, this female boasts martial arts skills--which will come inhandy when wrestling pizza away from the other four hard-shellheroes.
And speaking of the Fab Four of Turtledom, expect to seeRaphael, Leonardo, Donatello and Michaelangelo sporting an"edgier" look for "Ninja Turtles: The NextMutation." Don't accuse us of spreading rumors, however:We hear no cosmetic surgery was involved.
Wendy City
The spell has yet to be cast--but we suspect it's only amatter of time before today's kids become bewitched with Wendythe Witch. Encouraged by the successful revival of Casper, theFriendly Ghost, Los Angeles-based The Harvey Entertainment Co. isnow redeveloping its Wendy character. Hocus, pocus: Wendy isgetting her own animated series for the fall of 1998.
"Like Casper, she's a superhero for children,'says Jeffrey Montgomery of Harvey Entertainment. "She'salso an outsider because she's a little girl witch trying tofit in and just be a normal little girl. So she's got toovercome [a lot].'
Although it may seem hard to believe, Wendy debuted in the worldof cartoon characters more than four decades ago. The interestthat's brewing in her new TV series and direct-to-video featurewith Casper (also set for release next year) is anything butoutdated, however. And, yes, even more broom-flying is planned."We will be launching a merchandising program around Wendy tocoincide with the release of the TV series and movie,'Montgomery confirms.
Well, it's only supernatural.
Tennis Anyone?
Game, set, match . . . applause. After enduring waves of fandisinterest and media proclamations of its unfortunate demise, thesport of tennis is rallying to enjoy renewed popularity amongadults and kids alike.
Not that tennis's comeback is more awe-inspiring than, say,the bullet serves of Pete Sampras. But if 1996 sales increases oftennis racquets and balls seem less than smashing (8 percent and 2percent, respectively), consider this: These are the firstincreases in four years.
"We think tennis is well-positioned for the rest of thisdecade,' says Brad Patterson of the Tennis IndustryAssociation (TIA). Patterson, who counts nationwide tennisparticipants at approximately 20 million, credits professionalplayers with helping to rejuvenate America's love for tennis."There are some very appealing personalities [in thesport],' he observes.
Tennis is also benefiting from marketing campaigns like the oneteaming the TIA with the Cartoon Network. "We're trying toget kids at the same time Little League gets them,' saysPatterson. Characters the likes of Scooby Doo are being enlisted incommercials and live events. Anyone for a Scooby match?
Swing Set
Don't be a square, Daddy-O. Get hip to the far-out world ofthe swinging space-age bachelor. Oh sure, you may think the marketfor lava lamps, Hawaiian shirts and Perry Como records is as coldas yesterday's toast--but, to the contrary, such retro-bachelorparaphernalia is really dug by members of the so-called"cocktail nation."
"Young people are looking for something they've never[encountered] before--something that seems exotic," explainsSteven Guarnaccia, co-author with Bob Sloan of the recentlypublished Hi-Fi's & Hi-Balls: The Golden Age of theAmerican Bachelor (Chronicle Books). "For those of us whoremember [the era firsthand], it's kind of cheesy."
And yet, it's kind of a gas, too. As Guarnaccia points out,the 1950s boast at least the appearance of a simpler, lessangst-ridden time--with the possible exception, of course, of thedays of the bongo-playing, stream-of-consciousness, swayingBeatniks. Even these cats, however, knew how to play it cool.
Speaking of cool, movies such as "Swingers,"lounge-music collections, and clubs featuring the tunes of PercyFaith, Julie London and Bobby Darin continue to be what'sshakin' in the cocktail nation. But when space-age bachelormania stops cookin' with gas, Guarnaccia speculates there willstill be interest left in at least one group from that era. "Ithink we've yet to really see the full flowering of the Beatand hipster angle of it," he surmises. "That may be yetto come."
Fine with us. We're ready to go on the road again.
Contact Sources
Chronicle Books, 85 Second St., 6th Fl., San Francisco,CA 94105, (415) 537-3730;
Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 51 MadisonAve., New York, NY 10010;
The Harvey Entertainment Co., 1999 Ave. of the Stars,20th Fl., Los Angeles, CA 90067, (310) 789-1990;
McFarlane Toys, 15155 Fog St., Plymouth, MI 48170, (313)414-3500;
Paramount Pictures, 5555 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, CA90038, (213) 956-5183;
Tennis Industry Association, 200 Castlewood Dr., NorthPalm Beach, FL 33408, (561) 848-1026.
