Indiantelevision.com Team

(9 May 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Television format owner and distributor Fremantle has announced that it will come out with a line of apparel, swimwear and calendars for Baywatch.

The show that made both David Hasselhoff and Pamela Anderson household names and running slow-motion down a beach acceptable will be heading to retail shelves across the US this year.

FremantleMedia US licensing team senior VP, interactive and consumer products David Luner says, “Baywatch was a pop culture force in the ‘90s and has always been among the most asked about properties in our catalog. We recognise that there is a certain ‘nostalgic humour’ with this property and we’re embracing it with a tongue-in-cheek approach.

“With summer right around the corner and people dreaming about beaches, this is the perfect time to launch a merchandising program around this timeless summer icon.”

FremantleMedia will launch its Baywatch merchandising programme with four partners . Starting with the cornerstone of any Baywatch merchandising campaign, Ingear Swim has signed-on to produce a line of women’s and juniors’ swimwear and beach sportswear including tank tops, cover-ups, sarongs, skirts, as well as beach accessories such as beach towels and flip-flops.

Ingear, which licenses swimwear for Jessica Simpson and True Religion, plans on designing the line to capture the sexy “fun in the sun” look of Baywatch. The entire line is slated to hit the shelves in next year.

In apparel, Knot4Nothing, creators of the MadeULook label known for their super-soft “butterwash” quality tees, will introduce a line of men’s and women’s premium T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts and headwear available at high-end department stores and upper-tier specialty boutiques. Knot4Nothing will have the exclusive on David Hasselhoff’s likeness in the upcoming T-shirt line.

Mad Engine will unveil a line of young men's apparel for mass and specialty retailers that include T-shirts, fleece, thermal tanks and muscle tees.

Baywatch wouldn’t be what it is without the Baywatch Babes. So if fans are pining for a pin-up of Pamela or Carmen, MeadWestvaco will release a full line of Baywatch wallposter calendars, mini calendars and Day Dreams available this Fall in the US at all mass and specialty stores.

The Baywatch merchandising programme will focus on the campy “fun in the sun” essence of the Baywatch brand that has made this television series a true cult classic.