'tween

“Skunks first colonized this land in 1794. With the arrival of European settlers, an uneasy truce was established tween man and skunk. Gifts were exchanged. Treaties were struck... and broken. A feud ignited, resulting in the Battle of Skunktown.”

Known as ‘tweens in the marketing world, youngsters in this age group are spending like never before, $90 billion a year, by one estimate. […] Today’s ‘tweens make for picky, fickle shoppers with a keen awareness of what’s hot and a hankering to look more grown-up than they are.

The success of blockbuster films like "The Princess Diaries" and the comedy remake "Freaky Friday," in theaters and again on video and DVD, fueled a flurry of movies for teenagers and 'tweens.

She has a group of interchangeable friends she always hangs with -- until a new ‘tween enters her life. […] And as it goes with these movies directed at ‘tweens, there is a lesson worth learning.

’Tweens and their watchful parents, however, still aren’t quite ready for grown-up fare, and J-14 has taken advantage of this opening. It has just the right tone to reach them—puerile but non-threatening, lowbrow but chaste.

Teen and ‘tween consumers will be spending more than $76 billion this year on shoes and apparel that doesn’t come from the top designers.

Bubble Yum is targeting the highly lucrative teen and ‘tween consumers, licensing its name to Lotta Luv LLC to create a collection of beauty and personal care products. “With teen and ‘tween consumers, bubble gum is the No. 1 selling flavor for lip balm and lip gloss.[…]” said Steph Fogelson, president of Lotta Luv, the manufacturer of the Bubble Yum beauty products. […] The company is targeting mass merchants and the teen/’tween specialty retailers.

The Zutopia and Rave Girl chains, which also boast cool clothes in ‘tween sizes, are expanding. […] Keeping up with what’s “over” and what’s still hot is enough to make an adult break out with pimples, said Barbara Fields, owner of an L.A. trend forecasting service, who visits Europe every six months to track ‘tween and teen trends for her clients. […] In fact, much ‘tween apparel is cheery and childlike--T-shirts imprinted with the word “Angel,” gingham pants and cotton undies decorated with bumblebees.

But a half-dozen other movies geared toward the teenage and 'tween girl market – 'tweeners are girls from 8 to 12 years old – have failed to make more than a slight dent at the box office.

There is a shriek indigenous only to ‘tween girls, and if there were any justice, it would be heard only by others who consider body glitter essential.