Top Merchandise Items for Kids at Sports Fan Stores

Kids love to buy sports fan merchandise just like adults. Here’s a look at some of the top-selling merchandise items for children at sports fan stores.

At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Ind., the Trackside Gift Shop boasts many items for junior racers. Assistant Manager Jason Ellison said for children “Stuffed animals with our logo on them, race cars, and kids shirts in a wide range of sizes, those are the best sellers for us for the kids.”

Jeffrey Katzen, owner of Baltimore Sports and Novelty in Owings Mills, Md. described his top sellers as “Jerseys, hats, and sweatshirts for kids. We also do very well with plush animals and plush stuffed pillows. Long sleeved T-shirts are especially popular right now for the kids.”

In Hurricane, W.V., Chad Rogers, the general manager and head buyer at Sports Fanz said the company Party Animals out of Westlake, Ohio is a big seller for the younger fans. “We have to give that company a shout-out. Their Teenymates do so well for us, and now they have added Squeezymates, which are foamy, and come in a little blind pack, so you don’t know who you’re getting, just that you are getting an NFL or NBA player. They also just started doing something called a Jumpy Squeezy. It looks like an Easter egg; you open it and the squeezy expands.” He enthusiastically added that “The company started doing these items geared to kids but added some rarer pieces that only show up in one in a hundred eight packs, and we have a lot of adult collectors for those as well as the kids.” He noted that the company has also recently produced a carpetlike runner that is patterned like a basketball court or football field, so kids and collectors can set up their figures. “That’s been a great combo sale for us,” he stressed.

In Omaha, Neb., at Husker Hounds, Manager Glenna Wyscarver regards the store’s current seasonal top seller as “Long sleeved T-shirts and mini footballs. Those two do very well for us.”

In short, kids haven’t been forgotten at sports fan stores. ❖