From caskets to dogs, Cubs fans loony for logo

Even when the Cubs are in last place, their merchandise sales rank in the top five of all Major League Baseball clubs.

So you can just imagine what's happening now.

Move over, Yankees and Red Sox. Vendors say Cubs merchandise is selling faster than Ryan Theriot running from first base to third.

While hats and T-shirts remain the bread and butter of the business, there's also been skyrocketing demand for women's Cubs merchandise, unique designs (such as green Cubs hats or camouflage jerseys) and quirky novelty items.

First, the quirky.

If you die of a broken heart during the playoffs, or suffer a heart attack if the team makes it to the World Series, you can be buried in an official MLB Cubs casket. For $3,199 (not bad as far as casket prices go) your dead head can rest for eternity on a white pillow with a Cubs logo on it.

The red, blue, silver and bat-colored wood caskets will be available starting Oct. 8 -- just in time for the playoffs.

And for those who'd rather be cremated, Cubs urns, corked with a baseball and decked out with a plaque recognizing the deceased as a "lifelong fan," went on the market this spring for $699. (Available at www.eternalimage.net or through your local funeral home.)

"We've sold hundreds of Cubs urns already. People love them," says Nick Popravsky, vice president of Eternal Image, the Michigan company that makes both products. "We've got the White Sox urn coming out real soon."

Whether it's dog clothing, baby toys, underwear or wine bottle covers, you can bet it's sold with a Cubs logo on it, making Cubs merchandise a multimillion-dollar business. (MLB would not release specific sales statistics.)

Howard Smith, senior vice president of licensing at MLB, says he gets calls every day from vendors pitching ideas for new Cubs products. In recent months, he's said "yes" to Cubs candles, "yes" to Cubs ceramic tiles and "no" to a changeable T-shirt design.

"There is virtually nothing that we don't license," Smith says. "If we get a decent amount of demand for it, and it's a decent vendor, we're open to it."

Dylan McGorty, who works at Wrigleyville Sports across the street from Wrigley Field, says he never ceases to be amazed at what people buy. That includes construction helmets and tape measures with Cubs logos, and barbecue tools in a Cubs case.

"Sometimes we get stuff in and I say, 'What the heck is this?' Like the Cubs pumpkin carving kit. I said, 'Are you kidding me?' ... and sure enough, it sold," he said. "There are few teams similar to the Cubs fans in this sense. Anything and everything, they want in Cubs form."

Glenview resident Bryan McGraw, owner of www.cubbiesbaseball.com, has had requests for things like giant decals of Derek Lee's head and Cubs Mr. Potato Heads.

"The T-shirt and the hat is kind of yesterday's news. People want what no one else has. Everyone has a traditional jersey, but not everyone has a camouflage jersey," McGraw said. "People want to walk down the street with their dog wearing a Cubs hat."

And if the dog won't wear one, perhaps your family's fashionistas will. There are now pink Cubs hats -- as well as caps in melon and green.

There are also Cubs thongs in an assortment of styles.

Women have elbowed their way into the Cubs merchandise closet, prompting vendors to roll out dozens of new products for them, ranging from Cubs maternity shirts to sheer baby-doll tops.

New York-born actress Alyssa Milano hit a merchandising home run this year with her new line of women's MLB products called "touch."

The fashionable line includes jeans with an embroidered Cubs logos on the back pockets and sexy Cubs shirts.

"Ten years ago, what could (a woman) get? A jersey," says Smith, who helped launch the "touch" line. "Now, we have jerseys tapered to women's bodies that look good on them. It's not just a kid's XL or a men's small. And you don't have to wear a Cubs jersey that's just blue."

The demand for non-Cubbie colors -- which some die-hard fans find offensive -- came from both women and men, vendors say.

"If you're a big-time Cubs fan, you already have everything. So the demand for unique things becomes much greater," McGorty said. "People's love and passion for this team is unbelievable. There really isn't anything like the Cubs."