Caterpillars, Cars and Miss O hit NYC

New York— The New York Textile Market last month bowed a bevy of soft goods for the youth market, many of which were geared toward boys.

Springs Global' s latest rural-resonant license to join the fold, Caterpillar, bowed with bedding, bath and beach items, and it expanded its John Deere license to include pink and gray bedding for girls. NASCAR beach towels and generic (rather than driver-specific) bedding also debuted.

Movie tie-ins made their mark as well. The Northwest Co. launched a full slate of licensed throws and accessories including DreamWorks Studio's "Over the Hedge" (to be released this month), Walt Disney and Pixar's "Cars" (early June release), Warner Brothers' "Superman" (late June), Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean II" (early July) and Sony Pictures' "Open Season" (September).

Each title is supported by a full line of fleece throws, $8.50 each; microfiber raschel knit throws, $10; and Royal Plush raschels, $15. Jacquards, tapestry woven throws and, in many cases, coordinating decorative pillows also are available.

"We feel 2006 will be a very good year in licensed throws for two reasons," said Stanley Mieszkowski, Northwest Co.'s vice president of sales and marketing. "First, there's a great deal of newness, which always excites the marketplace. Secondly, some properties, like Superman and Pirates of the Caribbean, already have a proven track record, so there's little risk on the part of the retailer."

New Disney designs include Princesses, Tinkerbell and Mickey, while Nickelodeon brought SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Backyardigans. Barbie and Hot Wheels also got new looks.

CHF Inds. signed a license with Miss O and Friends, the interactive online community designed "by girls for girls." CHF's master licensee agreement covers 640 product categories. Miss O and Friends is one of three new brands CHF showed: the others were Flip, a collection of reversible juvenile bedding made of coated fabrics; and Flirt, a next generation design for young adults, feminine but not ditsy, lighter and flatter than bohemian-inspired prints.

CHF also debuted a high-end Hello Kitty bed, inspired by Hello Kitty jewelry pieces by Kimora Lee Simmons (pin necklace: $30,000) and ultra-swank handbag designer Judith Lieber's $1,800 Hello Kitty clutch. Bollywood Kitty is a panel print with trapunto, appliqué, sequins, jewels and embroidery trimmed with velvet and silk tassels. The ensemble retails at $500.

Ex-Cell Home Fashions offer tween- and teen-directed window treatments on both the feminine and masculine sides this year. Jerry Pittman, vice president of merchandising for window curtains and draperies, said the market has responded warmly to alternatives to "lime and lilac" as the usual colors for juniors' room decor.

Ex-Cell's latest line for girls' curtains features a range of houndstooth patterns in a broader spectrum of bright colors that play off handbag fashion with "tote-top" straps to hang the panels. Colors extend to coordinated grommets.

For boys and athletic-minded girls comes a line of athletic apparel-inspired mesh curtain panels dubbed Sports Stripe. White stripes on the light polyester fabric set off bold sports colors not identified with specific teams but recognized as professional and college team-favorite hues.

The Northwest Co. adds to its growing collection of novelties with this tie-in with "Cars," an upcoming animated movie from Disney and Pixar.

Whisper Soft Mills showed Outsider Jeep bedding for boys in a printed heathered textured ground with rugged mountain images.

Messina and Zucker introduced Play-Time juvenlle quit sets soft pastels and matching Calipso rugs.

BananaFish showed its Goody Goody Gumdrops nursery ensemble, which coordinates all bedding components with a lamp shade, mobile, diaper holder and other decorative fabric items.

Dean Miller featured the Surf Tapa bed set with coordinating solid chino color sheet set in 275-thread count Egyptian cotton and a blue Surf Tapa Surfboard comforter.

Lawrence Home Fashions helps tweens rule with hip new bedding styles like Glitter.

The Straight Edge's educational place mats line has been expanded with the Water Cycle, a colorful and simplistic diagram outlining the process of rain. These place mats are hand-printed vinyl.

Donna Sharp Quilts introduced Emily, featuring bursts of bright pink, green and orange in an exclusive pattern.

Jay Franco & Sons created for Marvel Comics' X-Men property a complete bedding ensemble program; the new X-Men movie hits theaters this month.

Melrose Home Collections showed Stephanie, a kids' bedding ensemble with printed floral patterns in a playful patchwork that includes a double-tiered skirt and reversible comforter.

Zambaiti's Teddy Bears design is sure to sooth baby right back to sleep.

SS Dweck featured baby blankets in soft solids and prints.