In January, all 1,148 Target stores debuted a new children's lifestyle brand, Sunny Patch, based on the work of writer, illustrator and product designer David Kirk. The first season focuses on Miss Spider and features 100 apparel, gardening and home furnishings products; one of Target's gift cards also features a Miss Spider theme. "It's a little bit deeper than the licensing model," said Nicholas Callaway, co-founder and president of Callaway & Kirk, who notes that Kirk designed all the products in the line. "Our approach was to create a children's lifestyle brand in which every product tells a story." Nickelodeon aired a computer-animated Sunny Patch television special on March 31, sponsored by Target.
One component of the program is the Sunny Patch Library, an endcap featuring five new book formats that will be exclusive to Target for six months and then roll out to all channels. The books, produced by long-time Kirk publisher Scholastic, include a giant, 14×19—inch version of Miss Spider's Tea Party, two miniature editions of Little Miss Spider preschool titles and two boxed board book sets, one each of Miss Spider and Biddle. Other Kirk properties, including Biddle and Nova's Ark, will be featured in upcoming seasons at Target.
