An updated line of Goosebumps products is set to make its debut at the Magic International Apparel Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, this month.

Parachute Consumer Products of New York and its licensing partners, Giant and M. Hidary, will unveil boys fashion apparel that they hope will hold a greater appeal for the target audience of eight- to 12-year-old males.

According to Nancy Overfield-Delmar, retail consultant for Parachute, the new creative direction includes a more intense and edgy look, which the company hopes will expand its reach in the retail sector and extend the life of the book series.

‘We want to move away from focusing on characters and create a Goosebumps environment through the clothing,’ she says. ‘This new line is a little scarier and designed to grow with the kids who collect the books.’

The logo and ‘G’ splat, for example, have been modified to appear darker and multidimensional.

Despite these changes, Overfield-Delmar adds that girls remain a key target, but their research findings have indicated that both girls and retail buyers prefer the boy-targeted line to a softer Goosebumps line for females.

Parachute is also planning to drop some of its existing licensed products, like its toy line, as part of the creative redirection.

Expansion of the Goosebumps property includes the Halloween opening of The Goosebumps HorrorLand Fright Show and FunHouse at the Disney-MGM Studios in Florida.

The Goosebumps book series, by author R.L. Stine, has nearly 200 million copies in print. The series is published by New York-based Scholastic Inc.