In Brief: Uniqlos Calorie-Burning Underwear, Mattel Bets on Monsters

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  • In the wake of its incredibly toasty HeatTech separates (which involve heat-trapping milk protein fibers), Uniqlo is rolling out more innovative textiles. The fast fashion company’s latest functional foray? Calorie-burning t-shirts and underwear (pictured). Developed with Toray Industries and the University of Tokyo, the snug garments apply resistance to the wearer’s muscles, forcing him to put forth more effort to walk, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal. As for the plastic dots and lines, they’re meant to create slight pressure and improve the wearer’s posture. The new line debuted in Japan earlier this year and is expected stateside soon.

  • Kids these days only want to play with, read, or watch things that involve vampires, and Mattel is seizing the opportunity with Monster High. Think Bratz meets Beetlejuice. Aimed at tween and teen girls, the new line of toys features “the hip teenage descendants of the world’s most famous monsters braving the trials and tribulations of high school.” But will youngsters swap their wholesome American Girl dolls for garish ghouls? “Fashion dolls are tricky, because fashion dolls have an emulative aspect or an aspirational aspect. Girls want to be Barbie…but I don’t know how many girls aspire to be Draculaura or Frankie Stein,” toy analyst Gerrick Johnson told the Los Angeles Times. “One reason why Shrek was never a good toy line—never has been, never will be—is because boys want to be Luke Skywalker, they want to be Optimus Prime, Spider-Man. They don’t want to be a green ogre living in a swamp.”

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