what really triggered this trend?

There was a time, in the not-so distant past, when school children, both boys and girls, had to dress up in a certain manner before leaving for school. So while it was mandatory for girls to tie a ribbon on the hair, boys had to oil their hair to keep them from becoming unruly. But all that is passe. It is common to see little girls in the city tip-toeing with their mothers into swanky beauty parlours. And the boys aren't far behind their female counterparts. Most of them sport a funky look, thanks to so much exposure through different media.

Surprisingly, not just the kids but also their parents have become very conscious about their child's looks. As a result of this, even a three-year old kid can be seen perched self-assuredly in an upmarket salon, instructing the hair-stylist about the type of cut s/he'd like to go for.

"I like spikes," exclaimed four-year old Ayan, who was spotted at a famous parlour in the city with his father, Ajeet Mullick. Contrary to those times when fathers would see this as an extravagance, his father had no qualms about it. In fact, he said, "My son should look adorable all the time and so I don't hesitate in spending on his haircuts or clothes. Gone are the days when the only hairstyle for kids was bob cut. With so many programmes on the TV featuring impeccably dressed people including kids, and a plethora of advertisements featuring children, my son was getting conscious about his looks. So I felt it was better to give him the look he wants rather than make him feel embarrassed in front of his friends, all of whom have funky haircuts."

So one must be wondering as to what really triggered this trend? As hairstylist Nishant Mishra put it, "The craze of hairstyling among kids took off from the movie Taare Zameen Par where Amir Khan was seen styling the children's hair. Since then parents too started becoming conscious about the looks of their wards."

It is not hairstyle alone that children are particular about. They are also becoming increasingly conscious about the brand of clothes and shoes they wear. "My daughter refuses to wear any outfit that is not from her favourite store or brand. I too avoid buying stuff that is not branded, as the branded ones are always more fashionable," said Meenakshi Sharma, mother of a six-year old girl.

If hair and clothes have been taken care of, can the other goodies such as toys, bags, pencil boxes and lunch boxes be far behind? These have to be inspired from their favourite cartoon characters. Brands are making the most of this trend. So from Chota Bheem to Ben Ten and Pokemon, you'll find them all over children's stores with bags bearing their imprint and so on. Shopkeepers are sure laughing their way to the bank wit such goodies flying off their racks. "I love Ben Ten and so my father bought me a Ben Ten bag and a pencil box with wheels in it," said 11-year old Prateek.

Amit Kumar, a shopkeeper summed it up, "Children nowadays know what exactly they want and most of the time these things are related to their favourite cartoon characters. There has been a rise in the demand of various cartoon characters inspired school stuffs including bags, erasers, pens and pencil boxes."