International Introspective: Scandinavian kids grok to imports in core categories

If visions of moderately priced, stylish furniture and clothing are usually what pop into your head at the mention of Scandinavia, you might be interested to know that when it comes to consumer products, the region's 23 million people - and particularly its 4.4 million kids under age 14 - cannot live by IKEA and H&M alone. In fact, roughly 80% of sales that contribute to the US$500-million Scandinavian/Nordic licensing market (which traditionally encompasses Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) are generated by U.S.- or U.K.-based properties. And with sales of Spider-Man and Bratz merch contributing to a healthy 10% growth in licensing in 2003 - a pace that's expected to continue over the next few years - it's unlikely you'll see homegrown characters like Sweden's Pippi Longstocking taking over the scene any time soon.