You’ve seen them...

Foxes, flamingos, pineapples,  mermaids, unicorns, llamas, flamingos, French bulldogs, doughnuts, emojis, campers, cupcakes, rainbows, macarons. 

Maybe you love them.  Maybe you hate them.

But these trends  are everywhere.  Note-cards, dessert plates, doormats, wind chimes, stickers, etc., etc., etc.

Well, there is more to come.  Here are The Happy Camper Collection’s predictions for what will be hitting the scene in 2019.

Narwhals

Narwhals are the perfect mix of whimsy and water.  Unicorn meets mermaid.

Narwhals look like something dreamed up by a team of cartoonists that needed a new character for My Little Ponies, Friendship is Magic.  Like, a character that Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle would to run into and, from which, they conveniently learn a valuable friendship lesson.

But narwhals are not just fiction!  It seems too good to be true, but they are a real live arctic animal.  

I have a feeling a lot of kids don’t know they are actually real.  Maybe even some adults.

The same way I was shocked on my first trip to the Southwest by saguaro cacti.

They are so cool! 

They tower over the desert with broad and reaching arms.  

They are a real thing!  

Who knew!

I thought they only belonged in old cartoons.  Ya know, some ridiculous exaggeration of the “real’ cacti that grew in tea cups in my grandma’s bathroom.  In my mind, the cacti in cartoons could only be real in a world where Elmer hunted Bugs, and Coyote could survive dynamite and anvils.

But nope.  Saguaros are real.

The same way narwhals are real.  

Isn't mother nature grand?

Cacti have become popular recently, and now it is the Narwhal's turn.  

They are just too cool and weird to NOT be trendy.

Swans

Gliding slowly and gracefully onto the scene are swans.  

Like Narwhals, swans tie into our love of water.  After the giant swan shaped inner-tubes that have been calling to children (and the children at heart) from the summer end-cap displays at Target, it was only a matter of time. 

We can identify with swans. 

We, too, started out as ugly ducklings.  Awkward and unsure of our place. 

We, too, grew into our power, beauty and femininity.  

We, too, have the power to navigate our world with grace and strength.

Let's celebrate swans, channel their spirit and glide gracefully into the new year.

Guinea Pigs

 We are all nostalgic for guinea pigs. As children, we had a guinea pig or knew someone who had one.  

The idea was great.  Their adorable hairdos are cute, their little squeaky noises are cute. 

Cute, cute, cute! They are just so cute!

The shine quickly wore off.  In reality, those little guys were smelly and prone to mood swings.  

But we can hold onto the cute-factor.  

Cute + Nostalgia = Big Hit

For example, imagine how cute guinea pigs will look as slippers or on notepads and tote-bags!

Animal Butts

My high school nurse had a poster hanging on her door.  On a black background were set twelve square photos.  Eleven of the pictures showed a variety of animal backsides.  A giraffe, a sheep, a dog.  The last picture was a picture of a smashed and extinguished cigarette.  The line along the bottom said,  “Butts are gross.” 

 I never thought that poster was gross.  I thought it was funny. 

Nearly 20 years later, it turns out I was right.

Have you seen the corgi butts?!

Corgi butts waddle right down the line between inappropriate & adorable.  Furry & funny. 

Soon, it will be more than just the corgis.  Other animals will get in on this fad.

Before 2020, there will be more and more animal butts butting their way into popular culture.  

Look for leggings with animal butts, backpacks with animal butts, you name it.

Hats

Not just baseball caps or knit winter hats, or outdoorsy sun hats.  

I'm talking Kentucky Derby, English Garden Tea, Southern Church Lady, 1950's HATS!  

Praise the lord, Hallelujah!

I used to sneak up to my grandmother’s attic, where all of the family heirlooms were kept.  Among the old Norwegian dancing costumes, the china dolls, the old record books, mothballs, mousetraps and miscellaneous were trunks and trunks of my great Grandma Ellen’s hats.  I would spend hours and hours trying each one and examining my elegance in the chipped attic mirror, and wishing I had a place to wear them.

Well, they are coming back!  Think small, feminine and fun.  A darling little headband disk, or a round facinator hat, a sassy pill box.  All very Jackie O.  

For a while it was 1920's style headbands, well now we are on to the next... Hats!

Because why the hell not!