Super Bowl & Football

Sometimes good ideas spring from long cross-country searches; other times they're just around the corner.When Avia Group International began planning the introduction of the Hammock, a new technology designed to enhance cushioning and fit in women's aerobic shoes, it looked no farther than down the

This inflatable display, which features Keebler's Ernie the elf in the legendary Keebler Hollow Tree, may be referred to as huge, but certainly not unruly.

Vinyl-coated nylon (tree); molded-rubber compound (Ernie's face); voice box with light sensor

The Chester Fried Chicken inflatable was designed to tickle consumers' taste buds for ready-made fried chicken. The inflatable is pictured here at the FMI show.

Brulene Associates Inc.

Giant inflatables are sending sales of ICEE frozen carbonated beverages sky high.

Looming overhead like miniature blimps, the bright green and yellow inflatables provide "instant recognition at the point-of-sale," says a company spokesman.

Champs follows closely on the heels of a successful introduction for TD's last year in 16 NFL markets.

Meeting the often conflicting needs of retailers, a display for the Teledyne air cleaner provides consumers with information without taking up too much counter space.

Last summer's comedy movie "What About Bob?" is enjoying a longer than usual, high- profile run in video rental stores as a result of Touchstone Home Video's aggressive in-store campaign, which extends through February.Released in November, the rental is backed by TV advertising and a merchandising

This time it's for a million bucks.

Foam Ks blow around the plastic bubble on Microsoft's "popcorn" display, signifying increased memory available for PC users with the operating system upgrade. A small fan located in the base inflates the bubble and moves the Ks.