THIRUVANATHAPURAM: Whether monsoon-hit or not, the kiddies are all set to reap an exuberant harvest of fun and frolic with their new-gen umbrellas. No more are they simple protective canopies from the scorching heat.Marketing has transformed them into a sort of magic wand which seems to promise gullible children unceasing fun. And it is not just the umbrellas that have been given a marketing spin. The school market parades vivaciously glamorous bags, easygoing shoes and delectably colourful notebooks and pens.“Popy ‘Pumpy’ and Johns ‘Bombi’, priced at Rs 290 and Rs 215 respectively, are the superstars in the umbrella market. Children are especially fond of umbrellas printed with colourful cartoon characters and multi-folded. Five-fold models are in high demand for their handy nature. The three-fold models have various colourful prints on it unlike the five-fold ones, which come single-coloured. Popy Pumpy’s water sprinkling mechanism is a big attraction for kids,’’ said a staff at the Chellam Umbrella Mart at East Fort.‘Winnie the Pooh’, ‘Little Mermaid’, ‘Lion King’ and various other popular children’s characters adorn the school bags. A medium-sized colourful bag is priced above Rs 800. Shorter ones are priced slightly low."The vivid and splashy designs of these bags attract little children and they make a big hue and cry to convince their parents to buy them. We also have Scooby Day bags which come at affordable prices,” said the staff at a bag shop in the city.The shoe market seems relatively drab. “Students prefer the traditional shoe models as schools have imposed restrictions regarding the type and colour of shoes,” said Manoj, who works at Boots on MG Road. But for children seeking thrills, there are retro-fitted ones. “An improved model of Reebok Racer is a light-weight sole version which eases walking and other athletic activities for students,” said Anees, a staff at the Reebok outlet at Pulimood Junction.“Cycles this time are in a chromatic variety to showcase. The Hercules Atom Turbo Drive, which comes in geared and non-geared versions, is the most popular. The geared version with shock absorbers and disk brakes is available in an extensive range, between Rs 5,700 and Rs 19,500. The non-geared version falls in a price range of Rs 3,500-Rs 4,600. BSA has new models for kids; geared and non-geared, in Rs 2,700 - Rs 5,000 range,” said Balakrishnan, who works at New Cycle and Motor Trading Company.Consumerfed’s outlet Triveni has notebooks, lunch boxes, bags, pens, pencils and other miscellaneous items for the school market. “We started the sale on April 24 and from the very first day, there has been a high demand for the Rs 18-king-size notebooks. This time we experienced a tremendous sale in the ruled and unruled variety of small-size notebooks ranged at Rs 10 and Rs10.50. Every time we launch a new stock of these types, they are sold out in no time. Pencils costing Rs 4.50, Rs 7.50 and Rs 8.50 of various brands like Triveni, Camel etc also fall under the most sought-after stuff,” said Lathika, a staff at Triveni.
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