Cute Halloween Find from Chicken Rhythm

Iron-on moustaches!

One day, the chicas at Chicken Rhythm –the fun company from Belgium that sells creative iron on patches- discovered De Blaffende Kip, from Dutch graphic and textile designer Anouk Corstiaensen. The fun part? The translation of de blaffende kip is, “barking chicken.” Right? It’s only natural that a barking chicken would want to partner with a little chicken rhythm! And so, it happens …

De Blaffende Kip products surprise, make merry, turn your frown upside down. Anouk creates designs that capture the imagination, in brillant –and funny- ways. She uses traditional craft technique, natural materials such as wool and cotton, and discarded products as raw materials for new designs.

Enter the Moustache. Perfect for that special Halloween costume … and most anything in-between … the Rubens, Dali & Gringo Moustaches are now available at Chicken Rhythm’s webshop! Boo-ya!

Children’s Retail Today publishes new posts on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you want to get the word out about your innovative, imaginative and inspiring products for children, contact me today!

Dressing Up for Halloween

This Halloween, the trendiest costumes are coming back from the dead. Literally.

According to NRF‘s 2011 Top Costumes survey conducted by BIGresearch, more than 2.6 million men, women and children plan to dress as zombies this Halloween. Due to the popularity of the characters in recent books, television shows and video games, zombie costumes jumped from number 22 in 2010 to number nine on children’s top costume list.

The survey finds Americans are expected to spend $2.5 billion on Halloween costumes this year, forking over $1 billion on children’s costumes, $1.2 billion on adult costumes -and $310 million on pet costumes. The average person is spending $72.31 on Halloween candy, costumes and décor, bringing total spending to $6.86 billion -the most in the survey’s nine-year history.

“Halloween isn’t just for kids anymore, as adults are just as likely to get in on the fun with clever, unique costumes. With Halloween falling on a Monday, restaurants and retailers will benefit as many Americans celebrate all weekend long.”

– Matthew Shay, NRF president/CEO

Top 10 Children’s Costumes. Even though Halloween is at the end of the month, over 46 million children are already planning their specific costume. As in previous years, traditional costumes still rank as consumer favorites:

Princess
Witch
Spiderman
Pirate
Pumpkin
Fairy
Action/Superhero
Batman & Vampire tie
Zombies & Disney Princess tie
Star Wars Characters

Man’s best friend is also getting into the Halloween spirit this year. Pet owners love to dress their pets like pumpkins, devils and hot dogs. Bees, fancy bows and ghosts are popular, too.

-NRF’s 2011 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey, conducted by BIGresearch, is designed to gauge consumer behavior and shopping trends related to the Halloween season. The poll of 9,374 consumers was conducted from September 6-14, 2011.

Dressing Up for Halloween

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Sometimes, it’s a secret. A surprise. A mystery. Other times, it’s just fun.

“What will you be for Halloween?” is the popular question this time of year. In my younger years, I dressed up as “Janet Planet,” one of my very popular nicknames. What’s a “Janet Planet,” you ask? The back story has something to do with Q-tips and electric blue hair…

Even a recent episode of Project Runway focused on costumes (episode seven). Yet in the world of children’s fashion, fantasy dress up is one hot segment of the market, available year-round. And right now, a spotlight is burning bright on it.

Walk in to most big box stores and you’ll find Halloween costumes and candy. Catalog companies such as Grandinroad devote a huge section of their publication to Halloween décor and dress up. And each year, I look forward to picking up Martha Stewart’s October issue, because I really admire her Halloween looks. Fabulous online toy merchant Fat Brain Toys offers a variety of costumes that complete the fantasy of growing up and being a chef, for instance.

And in the world of kid’s fantasy dress up, entire companies create real-life, magical fantasywear for kids to light up their imaginations with.

Kaiya Eve Couture is the maker of The Original Pettiskirt, a full, lush, updated version of the vintage petticoats, for girls to dress up in whether it’s Halloween or not. Just ask celebrities Dakota Fanning or dad Christian Slater.

Posh

Because little girls love to dress up like princesses, Posh International offers their soft skirts with built-in leotards. Yet little boys love to don fantasy clothes, too. Aeromax has a wide variety of outfits that boys really love.

Why is fantasy dress up for kids so popular – year round? Little Adventures, a company dedicated to being a part of their children’s daily little adventures, puts it nicely: “We get to dress up like princesses and experience the joy of being a part of our children’s lives. What more could any Mom ask for?”