If you've been to Papyrus or any similar gift store lately, you've most likely encountered entire tables of mermaid gifts and collectibles.
Like unicorns, mermaids are having their day in the sun (both in and out of the water).
The publication of the Harper Design book, The Mermaid Handbook, by Faerie Magazine editor, Carolyn Turgeon, heralds a tidal wave of mermaidiana--from the popular Coney Island Mermaid Parade to mermaid festivals all over the world.
Why the sudden interest in Splash-esque adventures?
Milena Lyons, the founder and "Sea-E-O" of Mermaid Life products, an online company that specializes in fashion and lifestyle gifts for the mermaid in your life says that the answer is simple.
"Mermaids make everyone happy. They are beautiful. Their existence is tied to nature and to a clean and healthy sea (something we're all concerned about now). They have always been popular, but now with social media those of us who consider ourselves part mermaid can bond and come together for festivals, camps, travels of all kinds. Mermaid festivals alone that are burgeoning all over the country are just one way for travelers to swim in enchanted mermaid waters."
Lyons points to her homeland of Florida, especially her hometown of St. Augustine with its tales of pirates and the sea as prime mermaid sighting country. From the famed siren-filled waters of Weeki Wachee Springs State Park's legendary Mermaid Show to upcoming mermaid festivals in High Springs Florida (hosted by Mermaid Life "Ambassador," Mermaid Tami) and other locales, Florida, with its vibrant coastal life and mermaid-friendly temperature is ground zero for mermaid sighting.
Lyons created her product line of t-shirts that say things like "The Ocean is my Boyfriend," mermaid earrings and mugs to tap into the lifestyle boom that is supported by mermaid travels.She also sells both children's and adult mono-fins (with and without decorative mermaid scale coverings).
"Mono-fins are great for core exercise," she explains. "It's not just about fun and fantasy, it's also about fitness.
If going to mermaid shows or having a drink in a famed mermaid tank restaurant like Fort Lauderdale's The Wreck at the Yankee Clipper Hotel don't lure you into the waters of fantasy, take a trip to an entire town dedicated to mermaids.
The city of Norfolk, Virginia has adopted the mermaid as its star and symbol. Just like other cities have art "cows" all over town, Norfolk has commissioned scores of artists to create colorful mermaid sculptures that are part and parcel of the naval-centric city. You see them emerging from fountains in front of the city's walk-able and music-enveloped public pier as well as in hotel fountains, public parks and sandwiched between buildings.
Mermaids are not just for adventure-bound travelers and coastal living aficionados. They also appeal to literary types with connections like Hans Christian Andersen's "The Little Mermaid," global folk tales of mermaids, T.S. Elliot's The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock ("I hear the mermaids singing each to each").
"I must be a mermaid, I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living," said diarist Anais Nin, a quote that you can find on many a mermaid-themed t-shirt.
With the preponderance of mermaid travels and products to support them, there's no end in sight on the siren-filled horizon.
