'Tweens Have 'High School Musical' Fever

Kids are spending a lot of money on all things 'High School Musical.'

ByABC News via logo
January 8, 2009, 1:21 AM

Aug. 18, 2007 — -- Zac Effron is on the cover of Rolling Stone. Ashley Tisdale is making her way around the talk show circuit. The whole gang has appeared on ABC News' "Good Morning America."

The cast of "High School Musical 2" is everywhere -- and that's just how their fans like it.

The movie's rollout this weekend on the Disney Channel -- Disney is the parent company of ABC News -- was not just an entertainment event: For scores of kids, it was a social event, with sleepovers and parties to celebrate the return of America's favorite classmates.

"My daughter and her friends love to dance like maniacs, sing all the songs -- nothing but good clean fun," said Dawn Schwartz, mother of six year-old Samantha Schwartz.

The music, the moves, the star-crossed romance drew 170 million viewers to the first "High School Musical," making it a smash hit.

"It empowers young people ... that they can take the responsibility themselves," said the franchise's director and choreographer, Kenny Ortega, "and be in charge of their own destinies, and that high school can be what they want it to be."

Since its debut, "High School Musical" has become so much more than a hit -- thanks to the spending power of 'tweens, kids between the ages 6 to 14. And it's not just the movie. The merchandise, from posters to soundtracks, has helped make "HSM2" a $100 million enterprise.

"They can spend about $50 billion. Increasingly they get their own allowances, they know what brands they like, they are very sure of what they want to buy," said Jane Buckingham, president of the Intelligence Group, a market research firm. "So they can be very, very powerful in the household."