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HIGH POINT, NC, October 2009 – Designed for kids’ in-between years from ages 8 to 12, Lea Furniture developed TweenNick to be an assortment of beds and chests combined with the fun and functionality of the Nickelodeon MyRoom collection’s seating and accent items. The variety of options offers tweens more choice in personalizing their space and more opportunity to express themselves and their individuality.

 

The TweenNick line is designed to be eclectic. This mix and match styling offers the ability to pick and choose personality pieces that allow tweens to express their own style. No longer little kids, but not quite teenagers, tweens live in a constant state of transition, and the TweenNick collection bridges the gap with grown-up, tween-friendly furniture.

 

Inspired by Nickelodeon’s positioning for Slime as a “symbol of all that is great about being a kid - playful, messy, unique, surprising and a little irreverent,” Lea product designers interpreted this transitional phase by creating TweenNick as a collection of fun signature pieces with functionality twists. The line shares some common themes, including three graphic designs featured on FunTime chests that create a focal point for any room. Those design themes are:  

The Bob Squared chest features five drawers cut at fun angles, and glow-in-the-dark sponge drawer pulls and graphics. Inspiration for the chest comes from Bob Squared graphics which offer a fresh, more artistic perspective on SpongeBob SquarePants. SpongeBob’s image is reflected using geometric patterns with a contemporary twist of cubism.

 

The Bikini Bottom 6-drawer chest is serpentine shaped. It is designed with orange coral, sea bubbles and SpongeBob silhouettes, and uses glow-in-the-dark sea flower drawer pulls. Its inspiration comes from Simply Bob and was created particularly to appeal to tween girls. All Simply Bob graphics are white; however the bubbles and silhouettes on the chest’s sides will also glow in the dark.

 

The Slime Time 5-drawer chest oozes glow-in-the dark slime, and comes with green slime drawer pulls. The inspiration for the Slime Time chest, which most-likely will appeal to tween boys, comes from the nature of Slime, itself, and embodies all that is great about being a kid.

From the soft, squishy and glow-in-the-dark knobs to dimensionalized Slime seeping out of drawers, design elements of TweenNick offer lots of expressive flexibility. As the tween outgrows interest in the use of graphics, they can be changed out or removed. The only exceptions to this feature of choice and transition are the three signature FunTime accent chests.

Understanding that the room of today’s tween is more than just a place to sleep, Lea’s product development team recognized that a tween’s bedroom reflects and contains their world. They created TweenNick as a furniture line that will turn a room of any size or shape into a place where kids can express themselves, celebrate their achievements and enjoy the treasures they love.

 

To appeal to their changeable nature, the 6-drawer dresser, 5-drawer chest and 3-drawer night stand, each come with two sets of drawer hardware - contemporary nickel and orange sea flowers – that can be changed out to suit their mood of the day. 

 

Reflecting tweens at their best, the TweenNick line offers two signature mirrors that offer a new twist on traditional convention. The new mirrors are just made for transitional tweens who are determined to express a new, more stylish and independent side.

 

Lea developed the 51" wide Memories Mirror. The mirror is a uniquely functional display mirror that features angled shelves on each side which are perfect for showing off a tween's treasures.

 

TweenNick also offers a new twist on the traditional accent mirror. Like the sea, itself, the Accent Bikini Bottom mirror is reflective by day and lit by night with subtle glow-in-the-dark graphics. The coral and bubble accents are muted shades of orange and blue by day, and turn into hints of blue and green at night, giving the illusion of being real phosphorescent coral under water. 

Since the bed is the cornerstone of this space, Lea created several fun and functional options for transitioning tween customers. With cool names like The Cave, The Zone, The Retreat and The Slider, which reflect the furniture in concept as well as functionality, the line of TweenNick beds include:   

 

The Cave is a loft bed concept that literally creates a room-within-a-room. The Cave can be personalized by the tween using either the Bob Squared or Slime panels (both are included with the loft), by leaving the furniture in its all-white form or by mixing and matching the graphic panels in their own personalized combination with the white base furniture. The Cave comes with a two-sided keep-out privacy curtain which will coordinate and features white on one side with a caution sign and Slime on the other. Inside The Cave is enough space for the Chillin' Out upholstered loveseat and a built-in media center. It also leaves room for plenty of spaces and places for a TV and gaming equipment, ensuring The Cave will be THE after-school hangout for boys.

Called The Zone, this bed offers the perfect setting for sleeping, studying, relaxation with friends and reflection. Components of The Zone include a personality corner and back panel bed with three magazine holders, two 8" X 10" frames for favorite photos and an orange fabric push-pin memo board. A twin storage headboard comes with reversible graphic panels of Bob Squared and Orange Coral Simply Bob. The Zone comes with a two-shelf storage headboard, a panel footboard with slat pack a 76" hook-on wood rail, and dual function underbed storage. It is available in twin and full sizes. With the photo frames, memo board, magazine holders and shelving, The Zone lets tweens put on display what's most important to them - at the moment, anyway.

 

Girls often get left out of the cool beds, but not with The Retreat by TweenNick. Offered with a set of Nickelodeon orange curtain panels, which can later be changed to any fabric or even beads, The Retreat lets girls become junior interior decorators while creating a private place to spend time with friends or get away from an annoying sibling. The Retreat offers plenty of storage for a young tween's growing wardrobe, with six large drawers in the footboard as well as underbed storage drawers. The Retreat also features two large-sized shelves that are sure to be perfect places for books or to show off some prized possessions. 

 

The final bed in the TweenNick line is The Slider. The Slider gets its name from its convertibility. It easily changes from a daybed to a regular bed simply by sliding the castered platform in and out from its storage headboard. With the platform slid into the 17" deep headboard, The Slider is a daybed with upholstered back rests in orange microfiber fabric that make it a comfortable place to hang out, do homework or play video games. With the platform slid out and locked, The Slider becomes a twin or full size bed. Games, videos, DVDs can be neatly stored in the compartments hidden behind the back rests. Casters easily lock in place so the platform stays put. The Slider is a great space-saving bed for a bonus room, family room or as an extra bed.

 

The result is the new “kid-centric” MyRoom collection with lines designed to address the needs and preferences of both parents and kids at each age-gate. The collection includes Nick, TweenNick and TeenNick furniture lines and delivers everything parents want for their kids and everything the kids want for themselves. The line’s interchangeability, flex-functionality and versatility allow kids to be surrounded by features they love while a wide selection of beds, chests, storage solutions, seating and accent pieces extend the longevity and value of the furniture.

 

“Along with kids’ self-expression and the extra storage parents want, our goal with Nick was to deliver built-to-last quality for this age-gate and beyond,” said Earl Wang, head of Lea product development. The Nick line offers sturdy wood cases with full extension drawer guides and superior drawer construction as well as a variety of accents and seating options.

 

Knowing that parents can not get enough storage, Lea created the Stow-Away modular wall system. It features signature Nickelodeon orange accents and will easily coordinate with the TweenNick collections. The Stow-Away wall units are offered in a clean simple look that makes them perfect for the play room, family room, bonus room or bedroom.

 

The Stow-Away modular wall unit is made up of a variety of component options, including:

·         The storage bunching bookcase with orange Sea Flower handle, shelving and two coat hooks

·         The media center with a single pull-out drawer to hold videos, DVDs and games

·         The stacking unit with two dry erase doors

·         The stacking unit with 2 slime green buckets

The Nick line also offers a creative, colorful and fun variety of seating options, including the innovative Flippin’ Out nesting chaise in the Simply Bob pattern. Really three pieces in one – the Flippin’ Out chaise can easily “nest” to a more space-saving cube or separate into two chaise chairs and an ottoman. 

 

The Flippin’ Out nesting chaise is part of the seating assortment that coordinates with any of the three Nickelodeon MyRoom furniture lines. In addition to the Flippin’ Out nesting chaise and the Chillin’ Out loveseat mentioned as part of The Cave, the line features:

·         The Rockin’ chair for easy listening and reading

·         The Rollin’ chair, which is a great chair for kids that love to game

 

 

Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products manages the world's third largest licensing business, representing leading properties such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Dora the Explorer, and managing merchandising for Nick Jr., Nickelodeon, Comedy Central, MTVN International, and Spike TV.

 

Nickelodeon, now in its 30th anniversary year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 99 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than 15 consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

 

This story posted by Quixote Group Research, Marketing & PR