I've noticed that I have developed a strong aversion to anything with a licensed character on it. I don't want Mickey, Pooh, Tinkerbell... nothing. I saw thing adorable little dress the other day and then I noticed it had Piglet on it and immediately put it down. I'm not sure what it is.
How do feel about licensed characters on baby/kids clothes, toys, nursery decor, etc?
GOLD / wonderful apricot / 22646 posts
I think toys are fine, but I'm with you, I don't like licensed characters on clothing or decor; just my personal preference.
admin / watermelon / 14210 posts
i think kids gravitate towards characters when they are 18 months+. charlie loves something more (backpack, shirt) for instance if it has elmo on it. as long as it makes him more excited to get dressed in the morning, i'm for it! 
pomegranate / 3008 posts
Particularly on infants and babies I don't care for it and steer clear to the best of my ability. When they get older, like Mrs. Bee said, they'll probably want it all the more because of the character.
GOLD / wonderful coffee bean / 18478 posts
I agree with Mrs. Bee. We didn't buy any baby things with characters on it but they start to care around 18 months and it is waaaaaaaaaaay easier to get them dressed if they like what is on their clothing.
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
I am ok with licensed characters for Sesame Street characters. I let him watch Sesame Street on YouTube, and it's pretty much his only source of professional content.
I won't be thrilled when he gets super into commercial licensed characters though. Not sure how to handle that one.
apricot / 498 posts
I find that the majority of clothing with licensed characters on it is tacky. But that is my adult opinion. As for what a kid thinks...I guess if they like it it's a bonus?
pomegranate / 3980 posts
I generally dont care for it but if something is super cute ill buy it. For example, my daughter had the cutest little winnie the pooh hat complete with ears but it was pink so it wasnt 100% obvious.
Eta: now my daughter picks out her own clothes for the most part and she likes Dora so she has Dora jammies and a few shirts now.
kiwi / 678 posts
I don't really care. I didn't buy her anything with characters on it when she was a baby, but it wasn't so much that I was opposed to them as I thought other things were cuter. Now that she's a toddler, she FREAKED OUT when I bought her Yo Gabba Gabba undies. I'm thinking about getting her a Ni Hao, Kai-Lan hoodie for Christmas because I think she'll love it. She's at an age where she's starting to care what she wears, and if it makes her happy, it's not really a big deal to me. (This has also led to lots of sparkles and stars in her wardrobe.)
GOLD / wonderful olive / 19030 posts
I agree with several PP, I think as a young toddler it is fine if they have a character they enjoy. However, as a baby I'm going to stick to stripes, polka dots, ect. instead of characters & even non-licensed animals on some clothes weird me out. I think things are cuter without all the animals on it.
pomegranate / 3329 posts
This is exactly why I cried after my baby shower. We registered for a really cool pack n play, MIL told me she was getting it for us, I was SO super excited. Then when I opened it at our shower, it was covered in Winnie The Pooh 
Totally not the one we wanted, and since MIL bought it I couldn't take it back. The cherry on top, Maddy won't sleep in it.
I have a strong aversion to anything with licensed characters on it, they're IMO tacky.
nectarine / 2797 posts
I don't care for them myself. We definitely won't be purchasing any for our baby, and not sure how much we will use it if gifted any. But I also don't like clothes that say things like "Mommy's little princess" or "Daddy's little slugger" so maybe I'm just overly picky?
admin / wonderful grape / 20724 posts
For the record, I think it's possible to have characters on shirts done in a non-tacky way!
cherry / 166 posts
On clothes, as long as it doesn't overpower the entire outfit, I'm ok. On furniture/gear, I don't like it. I tend to like stuff that is gender neutral and will fit in with our decor.
pineapple / 12526 posts
@MrBee- I think that's what it is for me. It's so commercialized. It just kind of gets under my skin. I guess I feel like it's going to make my kid into a walking billboard for Mickey Mouse, Pooh, etc.
I mean, when she gets old enough to start picking out her own clothes then I will let her because it's her choice. I can't really see myself buying any of it though.
wonderful clementine / 24134 posts
I agree that if the kid likes it or wants it that's one thing. But, I am a bit over it extending into food products. Kids should be taught to eat foods for the right reasons not because it's has Cars on it.
persimmon / 1202 posts
For the most part, I dislike it. I find it hard to dislike Tigger, though. And my daughter's room will be done with Cicely Baker fairies, but they're just old-timey flower fairies.
pear / 1852 posts
I don't know what we'll do.
I think I'm okay with it.
I'm pretty sure my husband will want to dress her in Star Trek, Superman and Batman.
pineapple / 12526 posts
@Mrs. D- A friend of mine sent me a picture of a little pink onesie that said "I get my Jedi powers from my daddy" on the front. I was cracking up. DH is a huge Star Wars nerd.
See, that raises a whole other issue. I'm okay with band tees or superhero logos or nerdy stuff like Star Wars... I guess that's kind of a double standard, huh?
grapefruit / 4056 posts
I am not a huge fan of licensed characters on baby things, I tend to avoid them like the plague, unfortunately at work, people tend to like them, and are already asking me what our favourite is for when it comes to baby shower gifts *shudder*, I tend to try to avoid the topic altogether.
GOLD / pomelo / 5167 posts
I hate it too but know that at one point he will gravitate towards those exact things. Until then no licsenced caracters.
GOLD / wonderful grape / 20289 posts
I think right now I just don't watch the shows or anything so I don't have an attachment to the characters. I like mickey, but my hubby doesn't.
When my LO gets older, she's start wanting to wear certain things and I'm ok with that. Oh, scratch that. She does have a Minnie onesie from when we went camping at Disney. Her grandpa got it for her
pear / 1639 posts
I'm back and forth. I don't mind some... but others I don't like. DS is really into Cars though, so he has quite a few shirts with the characters, and he also likes superheroes, so we have Batman, Spiderman, etc shirts. As long as they are done right I like them. Not cheesy I guess....? If that makes sense!
pear / 1852 posts
@zippylef: We're allowed to have double standards, we're having babies! lol
cantaloupe / 6669 posts
I don't like it either... it just screams tacky to me. Even if the item in and of itself is very cute, the mere presence of a character makes it feel commercial and therefore less sweet. Of course, this is more for baby stuff to me... once a toddler has developed a clear preference for a character (like Charlie and Elmo) I think lunchboxes/backpacks/etc. are totally cool because it's what the kid likes. I'm just not into Hello Kitty nurseries and that kind of thing.
persimmon / 1255 posts
In general , I don't like licensed clothing. I also don't like clothing with a huge brand logos (GAP, bebe) either cause I feel like clothing should compliment the person wearing it, not serve as advertisement for a clothing company.
Licensed non-clothing paraphernalia, however, is cool with me.
wonderful pear / 26210 posts
I think the more of a big deal I make about it, the more my son is going to want it, so I will just try to go with the flow.
I also think it's a matter of kids either being exposed to it on TV or through their friends. I don't want my son to be obsessed with Thomas the Train, but wouldn't mind if he liked trains in general.
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