Bright Butterfly Slumber Bag by BAZOONGI KIDS

Lined in yellow and splattered with cheery butterflies, this little sleeping bag is perfectly sized for pint-sized campers who appreciate the Great Indoors.
— Slumber Bags by Bazoongi Kids are the best sellers for sleepover gals at JaZams in Pennington, N.J., owner Joanne Farrugia told TDmonthly.
— “I carry them, but got sold out at Christmas!” exclaimed Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas. She called the washable cotton bags “kid friendly.”
— Bazoongi Kids bags are also a good-selling sleepover item at Le Jouet in Metairie, La., said buyer Tricia Myers.

Hair Wraps by KLUTZ

The art of thread-wrapping hair braids has never been shown off more clearly, with more fun or more beautifully than here. The kit comes with ten skeins of embroidery thread and thirteen beads and charms for the especially fancy styles. The accompanying book was written by Anne Akers Johnson.
— “You know how little girls like to do each other’s hair!” exclaimed Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas. “I sell a lot of different activity kits by Klutz that are good for sleepovers.”
— Klutz body-care craft kits were cited by Joanne Farrugia, owner of JaZams in Pennington, N.J. as being a great sleepover activity for her girl customers.
— “Klutz always does well,” agreed Sally Lesser, owner of Henry Bear's Park in Arlington, Mass.

Perfume Science by THAMES & KOSMOS

Perfume Science provides children an opportunity to develop a more sophisticated nose than most adults will ever have. The kit includes a complete perfumer’s laboratory and will teach how the brain and the olfactory senses work together.
— “I sold all of my Thames & Kosmos Creative Cosmetics and Perfume Science kits,” enthused Bettie Lee Moore, owner of Kaboom! in Leesburg, Va.
— “It’d be fun if everybody made their own bottle of perfume” at a slumber party, agreed Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop Toy & Book Store in Scottsdale, Ariz. She says that beauty-related crafts kits are hot with girls at her store.
— “I don’t care how advanced we want them to be, they still like putting on makeup and doing their hair,” sighed Greg Bonner, owner of Heights Toy Center in Little Rock, Ark. Perfume and cosmetic craft kits were among his best sellers for “girlie” parties.

Sticky Beads Bangles by ALEX BRANDS

Girls can make five glamorous bangles to wear anywhere. Alex has created a cool new way to make beaded jewelry: just roll the adhesive bangles in the beads and voila!
— Sticky Beads Bangles is a popular kit at Kaboom! in Leesburg, Va., said owner Bettie Lee Moore.
— Alex craft and jewelry kits are great sellers for Terry Myers, owner of Kaleidoscope Toys in Round Rock, Texas.
— “Girls like to do crafts,” agreed Tricia Cooper, buyer for Le Jouet in Metairie, La., who sells lots of Alex to her tween girl customers.

Spa Time by SCIENTIFIC EXPLORER

Kids can make therapeutic lotions and fizzy scented baths to turn their frenetic sleepover party into a relaxing spa experience. Components include sea salt, oats, lavender oil, citric acid, pipette and a science guide. The kit  was launched in 2005.
— “One of the big fun ones was Scientific Explorer, Spa Time, which has lotions and things like that,” enthused Kate Tanner, owner of Kidstop Toy & Book Store in Scottsdale, Ariz.
— “Scientific Explorer went out on a limb and did the perfume kit, where you mixed your own chemicals, and then they did a Spa kit and made facial washes. We sold a lot of that for sleepovers,” shared Greg Bonner, owner of Heights Toy Center in Little Rock, Ark.
— “Anything makeup-related,” does well with tweens and would be good for a slumber party, recommended Tricia Cooper, buyer at Le Jouet in Metairie, La.
THIS PRODUCT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Pajama Party: Wacky Charades by WORKMAN PUBLISHING

A self-contained mini-kit, each Pajama Parties: Wacky Charades combines in one handy package an informative, full-color booklet and 50 whimsically illustrated game cards. They are Charades cards with a twist. Kids pretend to be their least favorite characters, such as teachers ... stepping on bubble gum. Or their favorite cartoon characters ... at the dentist. The booklet contains loads of creative tips and ideas that address every detail of the party, from extra-special invitations to fabulous food to clever crafts, activities and party favors. It's almost all a girl needs for a memorable pajama party: Just add friends! This 16-page hardback book is written by Kylie Foxx and Sophie Ledesma. Hardback.
— “Group games are great” for slumber parties, noted Laura Miller, owner of Imagination Village in Concord, N.H.
— “Pajama Party” was recommended as a good selling sleepover item by Denise Hoffman of A Pocketful of Toys in Fallon, Mo.
— William Meredith, owner of Learning Express in Cary, N.C., said the same thing.

Writer's Bio: ALISON MAREK is an award-winning writer, director and cartoonist whose work has been published by Fairchild Publications and DC Comics (Piranha Press), broadcast on Showtime and other cable networks, and viewed worldwide in film festivals. See her short films and print work on www.alisonmarek.com. Watch her nefarious villains in the web series www.MuggsMovers.com. Get inspired by her cartoons "Daily ARFFirmations to Unleash Your Inner Fido" at www.ARFFirmations.com. Phew! And then ...  Read more articles by this author