As the inner sanctum for entertainment, daydreaming and hanging with
friends, a Tween girl’s bedroom is extremely personal, meant to reflect
her emerging identity as she searches for affiliation with a peer group.
With 27.6 million 8-to 14-year-olds in the United States--poised somewhere
between Harry Potter and Linkin Park--it’s estimated that Tweens spend
$10 billion annually and influence an additional $74 billion of family
spending, according to Teenage Research Unlimited.
PB Teen Dresser
Companies including DOM, Dry Ice, Delia’s and the soon-to-be
launched Pottery Barn for Tweens & Teens are building
on the successes of adult bedroom-décor departments, recognizing
the numerous opportunities for girls to personalize their living environment.
PBteen, Pottery Barn’s new magazine for Teens/Tweens, offers
products to fit nine personality types--including glamor girl, surfer,
bohemian and sportster--in five key product categories: furniture, rugs,
lighting, bedding and accessories.
The surfer theme includes a cool Surfboard Headboard,
Island Fever Pillow and Photo-Reel Lamps showcasing
real-life photos of surfers. Also from Pottery Barn is the Shadowbox
Furniture Collection, which includes a bed and bedside table.
The set offers a blank canvas for the Tween to show off her own artistic
ability and add an individual touch with pictures, awards or drawings.
Bratz fashion dolls’ creator MGA Entertainment
is also targeting Tweens with their new bedroom décor, including
a Dream Pillow with a Journal and Pen Set by
FAB set for a November launch in Target. There's also a bedding
program by Franco Manufacturing expected to arrive at
Target Sept. 1. Hot Delia’s items include picture pillows, fake-fur computer
covers, cell-phone holders, pink and orange sheets—all for $15 or under.
Girls & Their Pets
“The ties that girls forge with their pets are often among the most significant
bonds of childhood, as deeply affecting as those with parents, sibling
and friends.”
Dr. Gail Melson, Department of Child Development & Family Studies,
Purdue University
While an overwhelming 75% of US households with children have at least
one pet, in fact…
It is more common for a child to have a pet than to have a little
brother or sister.
From birth to age 18, a child is more likely to have a pet than to
have both parents in the home continuously.
Hasbro Pocket Neo Pets
Banking on Tween girls’ love of animals, Hasbro’s My Little Pony
brand has been lovingly updated for 2003 with Little
Pony Glitter Celebration Ponies, fulfilling the Tween desire
to mold her own identity with four unique horses: Sunny Daze, Wysteria,
Sweetberry and Rainbow Dash ($9.99 each).
As gender differences emerge during childhood, boys are less likely than
girls to make use of nurturing opportunities. It is not surprising that
girls are more drawn to practicing and developing these relationship skills
with pets, whether real, stuffed or imaginary.
Furreal Friends Go Go Walkin' Pup
Hasbro's Furreal Friends line was one of 2002's blockbuster toy introductions,
and their upcoming Furreal Friends Go Go My Walkin' Pup ($49.99),
a line of electronic plush animals that compellingly mimics real household
pets through life-like organic movements and sounds, is sure to follow
suit.
The #1 Tween-ranked website? Neopets.com--a virtual community of pets
requiring frequent attention from their owners, who must feed, educate
and keep them out of harm's way. Hasbro’s Pocket Neo Pets ($14.99)allows kids to access their virtual pet’s digital environment
with three modes of play. The set includes four games and a collectable
biography card.
