Fresh Colors and Stripes Tie Together New Preschool Products From Nick Jr.

Nickelodeon is showing its stripes with the introduction of a product line based on the cable television network's programming for preschoolers. The look of the displays for the new line focuses on partnering the Nick Jr. line with licensees and retailers for a coordinated look for distribution to mass merchants and other retail locations nationwide.Tone-on-tone stripes signify the Nick Jr. brand on packaging for a variety of products including toys, books, CD-ROMs, videos and audio tapes. The accompanying color-coordinated, comprehensive merchandising program for Nick Jr. includes point-of-purchase displays and signage.New York-based Nickelodeon's goal was to present a cohesive look for a line of products that likely will be scattered throughout various store departments. In addition, the products are being made and packaged by various licensees including Playskool Inc., Pawtucket, R.I.; Viacom New Media, New York; Sony Wonder, Park Ridge, N.J.; and Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing, New York.Nickelodeon's team worked for nine months with Pentagram, a New York-based design agency, to develop the packaging theme, colors and lettering. The goal was to unify the line and tell consumers Nick Jr. toys "are fun, amazing and delightful" while helping children learn and develop, says Linda Schupack, vice president and creative director for Nickelodeon The Works, the consumer products group.The company picked attention-grabbing colors -- purple, yellow, turquoise and melon -- hues not typically associated with the preschool market. The packages' up-and-down lettering conveys the "play-to-learn" theme associated with the products, says Schupack. "On the toy aisles, the purple with yellow background really jumps out against the red, yellow and blue of competitors' products."The same bright colors are used for the P-O-P displays and signage. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.-based Rand Display manufactured a Nick Jr. books display for Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing. The 108-book corrugated floor display is made up of shelves that hold the books at different levels for greater visibility of all the book covers. The header has the Nick Jr. logo on a bright yellow background. It measures 26 inches wide by 62 inches high by 18 inches deep. The floor display can also be configured into a counter display unit.The tone-on-tone stripe theme is also carried out on a Sony-Viacom floor bin display with 3-D elements. This corrugated unit, which adjusts to hold up to 24 titles of Sony-Viacom's video or audio cassettes, measures 13 inches wide by 59 inches high by 21 inches deep. It was manufactured by The Ventura Group, New York, and can also be configured as a counter display.There are also shelf strips and hanging signs to promote the Simon & Schuster books. "Face," the animated host of Nick Jr.'s television programming, appears on all signage for consistency of image between the packaging and P-O-P elements.Nickelodeon reformatted its preschool programming last fall, adding Richard Scarry, The Muppet Show and Muppet Babies to the lineup. Face and other characters from the Nick productions are the basis of the Nick Jr. products. Some packaging is minimal, especially for the plush toys, which pop out of their cartons inviting young and old hands to touch. Other packaging is sturdy enough to serve as a carrying case for toys, such as Alpha Build, sets of letters, numbers, shapes and words that press together.The launch of the new products is being supported by commercials on Nickelodeon and with magazine advertising."We tried to come at things from a kid's point of view and be respectful of kids," Schupack says. "The mission is to enjoy."

Fresh Colors and Stripes Tie Together New Preschool Products From Nick Jr.

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