Retailers Pitch Tweens, Moms Age-Appropriate Wares

Tween girls are a $43 billion market—but they’re not the ones with the wallets. Marketers are aiming for parents concerned about kids facing a barrage of ads that may not be “age-appropriate,” the Washington Times reports. “Many products are about making them older faster, but that's just not what they or their mothers want,” says a maker of preteen beauty products.

“What's important about our line of clothes is that the kids like the designs, but the mothers love the message,” says a designer whose firm makes clothing bearing slogans like “You Grow Girl!” “Our dolls have stories that are real; they do ballet, horseback ride, have slumber parties, and have pets,” notes a dollmaker. “We want little girls to be little girls for as long as they can.”
(More tween stories.)