-By Joseph Tarnowski

If the numbers are any indication, The Dark Knight might be lurking not only in toy boxes and video game consoles, but in medicine cabinets, too.

After a 39 percent drop in sales from $477 million in 2006, the kids' licensed personal care category is poised to lead a rebound, according to a new study by New York-based market research firm Packaged Facts.

The study, Market Trend: Licensed Kids' Personal Care Products Market, estimates that the U.S. market for kids' licensed personal care products was $293 million in 2007. The category spans everything from adhesive strips to shampoo to lip gloss, all developed for children age 3 to 11.

The potential for growth lies in demographic trends, specifically "a larger customer base due to an increasing kids' population, kids who are controlling more of their own purchases, and kids who are maturing faster than [in] previous generations," says Tatjana Meerman, publisher of Packaged Facts. "The group is open to a wider range of personal care categories."

According to Packaged Facts, the market for licensed products is a smaller and more specialized subsegment, but one with vast possibilities for innovation, branding, and marketing outreach.

In addition, marketers will expand on current battery-based offerings, typified by the Turbo Tunes Toothbrush from Hasbro, with new technologies such as bubble makers with gel inserts, massaging scrubbers that play music, and shower head attachments that combine color, fragrance, and flashing lights.

And perhaps a Batman HBC utility belt to hold it all.