I think too much is made of baby clothes... baby gap, etc. I like your idea to some extent because it makes it easier on the adult caretaker, but I'm not sure I would pay a premium for an item which would inevitably be soiled at the end of the day.

This will work. As long as you can make it cheaply such as in China. I do not believe that the consumers will pay a premium for this (maybe a small incremental one). Very cool idea.

Going a step further, companies advertisement printed on them could subsidize the cost of the diapers for people who have a hard time paying for the expensive little things. I wouldn't mind NIKE printed on my kids bum if I could get the diapers cheaper.

I think the title is a misnomer. Pokemon etc. isn't exactly a designer brand. You want cartoon-branded diapers. It's an alright idea, there are already tons of cartoon-branded products targeted at babies, so why not diapers?

I do agree however that such a product is unlikely to command a significant premium, mostly because babies tend to be too young and too stupid to make a stink about wanting cartoon-branded diapers instead of the generic brand. Kids start throwing temper tantrums for specific goods at 3-4 years of age, long after being toilet trained therefore outgrowing the need for cartoon-branded diapers. These temper tantrums are the sole reason cartoon-branded goods targeted at the kid market (as opposed to the baby market) can command a premium.

Let's get back to the initial premise.Navy blue, pink, plaid, or daisy printed diapers should be no more expensive or trendy than manufacturer's pre-printed paper towels or napkins.Let's Get Martha to design something everyone will buy for one manufacturerand they will all follow suit.The local store brand will always offer the basic white 'cheaper-than-thou' so why not?It's a fun idea.

An insider's perspective...I assume that we are talking about disposable diapers here...if not, please disregard my comments.

I wanted to speak to some of the comments on this idea.First of all, Kim is correct...this would not be difficult to implement. The raw materials (printed backsheet and taping systems) come from our raw material vendors pre-printed with whatever design we specify.

It is true that licensed character diapers are very popular (i.e. Disney, Sesame Street, Barney, etc.) There is even a "John Lennon Design" baby diaper. Even "store brands" have started to include licensed characters (Little Suzy's Zoo, Garfield, Land Before Time, Muppet Babies). AFAIK, there is no Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh diaper in the US at this time (perhaps in Japan?)

As for production in China...in the diaper industry, most diapers are made for local markets, in local markets. We have factories in China, but they produce diapers tailored for the Chinese consumer. Since capital equipment and raw materials, not labor cost, are the key elements in product cost, any advantage you'd get by making diapers offshore will be offset by the increased shipping cost.

I'm surprised that Martha Stewart Everyday doesn't have a diaper line. Maybe this is forthcoming? However, the number of patterns would have to be limited to the most popular for this to work.

Merchandising space is a key concern. The shelf space in the baby aisle is limited, and if you were to market six sizes for each pattern (for example, plaid, stripes, polka dots, and black), the entire shelf space would be taken up (not even leaving room for Pampers, Huggies, and Luvs).

My suggestion is to put on a reusable, washable, cotton cover (or "pantlet") over the regular diaper. It would be soft, loose-fitting, and have elastic at the waist and leg areas. It can even be sewn at home by a resourceful parent.

Cloth diapers have already gone designer. You can get them in a huge array of patterns and prints, especially if you're into psychadelics.