Uh, oh — Springs invites Cat in the Hat in

NEW YORK — The Cat in the Hat is bounding into retail via Springs Industries, which is introducing an array of products, from shaped rugs to sculpted bath accessories to bedding ensembles,

Springs unveiled the first items under the license during last week's winter winter market. The Cat in the Hat products were presented in a standalone display complete with a life-size Cat. Thanks to recent acquisitions, the mill is offering a wide range of products for the license, signed with the Seuss estate in 2002.

Two complete bed ensembles are available: Traditional Cat and Denim Cat. The former features the Cat in the Hat on a panel print comforter with a color-blocked blue ground framed with a red and white stripe. The comforter reverses to a red ground with the words "Cat" and "Hat" printed in white and tossed.

Denim Cat features supporting characters Thing One and Thing Two on a denim texture with sentences from the book in the background. The comforter reverses to a multi-colored tossed-word design on red textured ground spelling "Cat in the Hat."

Sheets are available as sets with retail price points from $20 to $30. Comforters are priced from $30 to $40.

Cat Quilt substitutes a quilt for a comforter. The quilt "is very irregular in its feel," said Nancie Siegel, Springs' director of marketing for licensed properties.

"The whole look is very easy to live with and is very true to the literary character," Siegel said.

Springs also incorporated several decorative pillows: Cat, a blue velveteen fleece square pillow with gusset and piping featuring the Cat's face; Hat, a shaped pillow colored in the Cat's signature red and white with a high-pile fleece construction and black embroidered details; and Fish in Teapot, a blue fleece with gusset and piping featuring the fish in the teapot. Adding another element of fun, the fish may be lifted out of the 3-D teapot or stuffed back into it.

Both resin-shaped and plastic bath accessories as well as two towels are available for the bathroom. The resin accessory group features a toothbrush holder, lotion/soap pump, tumbler, soap dish, wastebasket, shower hooks and hand mirror. The plastic accessories, tumbler, toothbrush holder and soap dish are offered as a set and are packaged in a zippered hat-shaped bag. Two shower curtains are offered and follow the design sense of the two beds, Traditional Cat and Denim Cat. The bath accessories retail from $8.99 to $24.99.

The printed towel depicts the Cat in his signature balancing pose, while the embroidered/applique towel features the Cat's face with a woven red and white stripe at the bottom.

A wide assortment of rugs featuring the Cat round out the assortment.