JPMA hops into licensing bus; Pooh, Looney Tunes, Disney and Sesame Street rule

Discount Store News, Oct 20, 1997 by Laura Liebeck

DALLAS -- Licensing is big business for the diaper set, even for infants who can't yet hold up their heads.

At last month's Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association annual show in Dallas, hundreds of new products, plus updated existing ones, featured four key licenses that appeared in showroom after showroom: Baby Looney Tunes (now celebrating its first anniversary); Disney Babies (now available in a new 3D-effect process); Sesame Street (thanks to the overwhelming success last year of Tyco's Tickle Me Elmo doll and resulting line extensions); and Winnie the Pooh (both classic and updated versions). The characters were featured on nearly every juvenile product imaginable including bedding, bath, diaper bags and feeding items.

Products designed for the mass market were generally offered in either bright pastels or primary colors, compared to more subdued colors and applications slated for department stores. Soft goods, created for such mid-tier retailers as JCPenney, Sears Burlington Coat Factory and Babies "R" Us, often featured elements of both. This year denim and chambray fabrics graced many products, recreating the Baby Gap and OshKosh looks that are popular in apparel.

In such traditional juvenile products as high chairs. strollers, play yards and car seats, multiple-use themes dominated. Many manufacturers offered products that could be used in a variety of ways, extending the lives of the products. Particularly popular this year were infant car seats that fit into strollers; high chairs that transform from an infant feeding chair to a toddler seat and then into a casual-use chair; play yards with bassinet inserts, and potty seats that double as step stools.

Other trends at this year's show included:

* No-spill sippy cups;

* Color-changing feeding tools to tell parents when the food is too hot (with similar technology used for some bath toys);

* Gift sets that combine bedding, bath, feeding and play in diaper bags, buckets or storage boxes;

* Strollers with all-terrain wheels and other more rugged-looking features, playing off the popularity of mountain bikes;

* Vibrating teethers;

* Walkers with extra safety features.

* Car seats with extra safety features in anticipation of new, stricter federal guidelines, particularly with the car tether.

This year's JPMA show, held Sept. 27 to 30 at the Dallas Apparel Mart, featured 365 exhibitors spanning 600,000 sq. ft. Over 8,000 people were expected, making the event the largest in the association's 28-year history of hosting trade shows. Next year's show is scheduled to begin on Oct. 25, again in Dallas.

Juvenile products is a $4.23 billion industry at retail, a business that has grown over 400% since 1980 when sales were $850 million. Fueling the growth is the large number of births each year, now a bit shy of 4 million.

While thousands of products were on display, JPMA created a program that recognizes creativity and innovation in juvenile products called the "Show Off" Product Competition. Ten winners were selected by an industry panel. The winners were:

* Arm's Reach Bedside Co-Sleeper by Baby Trend: A play yard with insert to keep the infant at bed height for parents, making nighttime feedings within each reach.

* Ready Freddy time-out watch by Camp Kazoo: A timer that can be worn as a watch and which can count down 99 minutes.

* Century Next Step Car Seat: Transitions from infant car seat to adult vehicle seatbelts, adjustable side supports, recline and upright seat position and a lap/shoulder harness clip to keep the belt away from a child's neck.

* Gerry Amuse & Cruise Activity Center Wagon by Evenflo: An activity center and wagon in one. The activity center insert can be removed for easy wagon use.

* Animal Heads Up/Strap Cover by Gold Bug: A car seat cover with straps in assorted animal designs.

* Kelty Kangaroo Infant Carrier by Kelty Pack: An infant carrier that positions baby's weight on an adult's hips and waist instead of shoulder and neck.

* 1-2-3 Discovery Lane by The Maya Group: A three-stage modular play surface for children 3 to 18 months, featuring 10 activities that can be assembled in a variety of configurations.

* Power Strip Cover by Mommy's Helper: A secure cover for electrical strips.

* Teething Blanket by Munchkin: All-cotton blanket with attached pacifier and easy-to-grip edges.

* Bath Mobile by Summer Infant Products: "Noodle" activity arch for the bath attached to tub with suction cups.

Among the many other new products introduced at the show were:

* Century: The Next Step Car Seat; Grow With Me High Chair featuring side feeding tray and infant to toddler uses; Fold-n-Go Care Center, a play yard with bassinet and changing table insert on wheels with side storage.

* Cosco: Travel Vest car seat without the hard shell; Options High Chair/Youth Chair; infant to toddler chair-feeding system;

* Dolly: Musical wall art in popular licenses; diaper bag gift sets; voice activated night crib light.

* Evenflo: Stage cups, which includes nipple, sippy and straw drinking methods, part of the entire new line of feeding products.