DALLAS -- The annual juvenile products show here was heavy on licensed introductions — particularly in the arena of infant bedding.

The Karen Neuburger collection from Crown Crafts includes this Coronation collection, which incorporates patterns from Neuburger’s line of pajamas and adult bedding.

Springs Inds. Made a big splash at the show last month with a score of new licensed infant bedding lines.

Perhaps the most unique is the new Learning Line, an interactive collection that starts with crib bedding and progresses through the toddler years. The creator of the Learning Line, former kindergarten teacher and early-learning specialist Wendy Waselle, said the products help infants and young children learn to soothe themselves to sleep.

The line is also designed to help promote parent-child interaction, providing sleep cues for the child and bedtime techniques for the parents.

The reversible Learning Bumper features eight panels with imagery for two stages of visual, cognitive and tactile development, and features friendly animal faces, bright colors and bold outlines. The bumper also includes clear pockets in which to place black and white cards for newborns visual development, and for photos of family as baby grows older.

The Learning Bumper is reversed to the second stage when baby is around three or four months, and includes more complicated visuals like peek-a-boo and more texture.

Learning Line infant sheets feature strong contrast and a single element, again utilizing friendly animals such as tigers or hippos that are just big enough for baby’s hands to want to touch and pick up.

As the Learning Line moves into toddler bedding, Space Race and Playhouse collections allow youngsters to play as astronauts or playhouse homeowners. The interactive bedding features two sides with inside/outside scenes and pillowcases that reverse from awake to asleep.

Paddington Bear is a new bedding and accessory license for Baby Boom.

Springs will package the Learning Line by showcasing the dual benefits for awake time and asleep time, and will include a Parent Guide with tips and techniques for utilizing the collection.

Springs also is offering coordinating bath accessories, layette, gift sets and accessories, including diaper stackers, mobiles, awake/asleep dolls, lamps, picture frames and nightlights.

Other licensees for the Learning Line include Brewster Wall covering for wall décor; Heyman Corp. for toddler pajamas; Twin Sisters for music CDs; and Antioch Publishing for sticker activity books, enhanced music CDs with foot puppets, pop-up books, guided journals and reversible bedtime bookmarks.
Springs also showed its new licensed Donna Dewberry baby products.

Dewberry, creator of One Stroke Painting, is featured on many public television stations, and her products are sold in national chains and on QVC.

She created infant bedding and accessories and craft fabrics based on some of her most popular decorative painting designs, including a floral motif and simply painted ducks.

"That breadth of appeal and distribution, as well as the charm of her designs, are what brought her to Springs’ attention," said Lucia Fitzgerald, vice president of baby products for Springs.

Dewberry said mothers can paint designs on their walls to match the infant collections. "I’m all about the home and family," she said. “That’s what inspires me.”

Springs also showed a new licensed collection of Little Tikes bedding, featuring four infant collections and two toddler collections. Country Morning and Little Rescue Heroes are designed for baby boys, and Tea Party and Let’s Play House, based on the popular Little Tikes playhouse, are geared toward infant girls.

And Springs has expanded its Humphrey’s Corner line in the Wamsutta Baby collection with two new designs, Playtime and Bedtime. Each are four-piece sets with embroidered appliqués. Playtime is in yellow with a blue and yellow plaid border, and Bedtime features a hand-stitched look and features mommy reading to Humphrey and his brother and sister at bedtime.

The reversible Learning Line bumper from Springs is designed to correspond with stages in baby’s development and features friendly animal faces.

The reversible Learning Line bumper from Springs is designed to correspond with stages in baby’s development and features friendly animal faces.

Baby Boom showed several new licensed infant bedding collections, including a new line of Paddington Bear bedding, a recently signed license for Baby Boom that will be targeted toward mid-tier price points and above. The company will also manufacture coordinating room décor and accessories, including mobiles, snow globes, diaper stackers, catch-all bags, cuddle pillows, picture frames, hi-pile blankets and hooded towels with washcloth.

Another new license for Baby Boom is Fisher-Price, and the company will manufacture infant bedding and room decor in three different patterns for mass market. Retail prices for bedding sets from Baby Boom range from $34.99 to $79.99.

At Riegel Consumer Products, licensed bedding took center stage. In its ongoing and very popular Sesame Street license, the company showed a crib set featuring a cute toile pattern that incorporates the puppet characters. The company also brought back Teddy Beddy Bear — a vintage style teddy — to a crib line.

The company’s most ground-breaking debut was its McKenna Ryan collection — based on the designs of the well-known quilt pattern designer. The group featured the deep, swirling colors that Ryan is noted for, and was well-received at JPMA, according to Chris Cole, vice president of sales and marketing.

Dolly continued with its successful Boyds Bears line, as well as its extensive lineup of other licensed groups, including Winnie the Pooh, EvenFlo and others.

Crown Crafts Infant Products had a huge roll-out of licensed products, most notably from pajama designer Karen Neuburger, O.p. Baby (based on the Ocean Pacific line of apparel and surfing accessories), and Jenny & Jeff, the design team.
The Karen Neuburger collection included two crib sets, Coronation and Springtime Soiree, each taking inspiration from the designer’s popular line of women’s pajamas. Retails for both groups are at $179 for a four-piece set.

The O.p. Baby group featured three groups, Key West, Huntington Beach and Malibu, each of which incorporates vivid florals in a Hawaiian style. Retails for the groups are around $150.

At an opening price point, Crown Crafts also showed Cherished Teddies, an Enesco license, with a retail of $39.99 for a four-piece set.