Finger puppet novelty hand garment

Abstract

The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a forefinger region and a character disposed across the middle finger and thumb regions. The character is placed such that the top of the character's face and mouth is across the middle finger region, and the bottom of the mouth is across the thumb region. The mouth is therefore open when the thumb region and middle finger region are not touching each other, and is closed when the thumb region and middle finger region are touching.

Description

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims priority to U.S. Ser. No. 61/063,540 filed Feb. 4, 2008, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of garments for hands.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to providing a whimsical feature on a glove or mitten or on a pair of gloves or mittens, with the primary purpose to be to entice young children or mentally challenged adults to wear hand protection. Many times children or mentally challenged adults balk at wearing hand protection, even in cold weather, and the result is that their hands become cold and/or chapped. This can lead to discomfort, which could ruin an outing for the child or mentally challenged adult and accompanying others, or, in extreme cases, lack of hand protection may lead to frostbite. Chapped hands are more susceptible to infection and can provide an entry point into the body for disease. Additionally, unprotected wet hands can get stuck to frozen features outside, causing pain upon removal.

Other instances when hand protection may be desirable is anyplace that diseases are readily transmitted, for instance, a caretaker may want a child or mentally challenged adult to wear protective hand gear when riding in a grocery cart and putting his/her hands on the handrail of the cart. Children or mentally challenged adults who are particularly susceptible to disease may be encouraged to wear gloves in many other situations as well, or any time they go to a public place.

Prior art that is relevant to the present invention is described below. None of the prior art teaches the present invention.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,549,660 teaches a child's glove with an elongated opening that can be opened for a child to insert his/her hand into the glove. The opening is then closed to provide a snug fit after the hand is in place inside the glove.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,304,065 teaches a walking hand puppet in the figure of a walking or crawling land or sea animal, bird, insect or the like, comprising a body with finger-insertable appendages, and a non-functional glove on the body, said glove having a passage formed therein through which a hand is insertable to insert the fingers into the appendages and to manipulate them in simulation of walking or crawling. The presence of the glove creates the optical illusion that the hand is received and held therein, which raises the question of how the appendages are manipulated.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,585,425 teaches a glove puppet assembly simulating a creature with movable claws that has a body member and forwardly extending claw members with lever arm portions which extend into the cavity of the body member. A bell crank assembly in the cavity is pivotally connected to the inner ends of the lever arm portions, and an actuator connected to the bell crank assembly extends outwardly of the body member so that it may be manually actuated to pivot the bell crank assembly and cause the forward ends of the claw members to move relative to each other. A glove is secured to the lower outer surface of the body member and has a finger thereof extending through a ring portion on the actuator so that the user's finger may be pivoted downwardly to provide the desired manual action. The creature also includes a tail member pivoted to the body member, and it is pivotable by relative motion between the forearm and hand of the user in the glove.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,608,025 teaches a hand puppet figure that has head components which can be moved, by manipulation of the operator's finger, relative to a body which is held substantially immobile on the operator's hand. The puppet figure may have wings capable of simulating flapping movement, while producing an audible sound, and the glove employed is both functional and contributes to aesthetic appeal.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,889 teaches a stuffed bear for teaching sign language to deaf children. The stuffed bear has a pair of hollow tubular arms through which the arms of a teacher pass, so the hands project beyond the front edge surface of each arm. Each arm is secured by stitching to a side of the main body of the stuffed bear along one-quarter of the circumferential length of the rear edge surface of the arm, which length is the upper and forward section thereof, so that complete articulation of the arm may be achieved to allow for the signs of sign language to be performed.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,209 teaches a child's baseball glove that includes a hand member, including a palm section, a finger section, a thumb section, and a webbing section connecting the thumb section to the finger section, and a padded pocket member which extends along the front side of the thumb section, across the base portion of the palm section, along the front side of the outer portion of the finger section and across the upper end portion of the front side of the finger section to substantially define the perimeter of a pocket in the glove. The glove preferably further includes an elongated padded retainer member which is detachably secured to opposite side portions of the pocket member and extends in outwardly spaced relation across the base portion of the palm section. The glove can be initially used by a young child with the retainer member in place in order to enable the child to more easily catch and retain a ball in the pocket of the glove, and after the child has developed an initial level of proficiency at utilizing the glove, the retaining member can be removed to enable the glove to be used in a manner similar to a conventional baseball glove.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,117,507 teaches a shirt-like garment having an upper body torso merging into a sleeve portion wherein a figure is applied to the torso portion and to the sleeve portion to appear as an integrated image. The sleeve preferably terminates in a puppet head at its distal end so that a wearer may insert a hand into the puppet head for manipulation as a convention puppet. The mouth of the puppet head is preferably formed with upper and lower inner mouth pieces defining a slot through which a hand of a wearer may extend free from the puppet head. When so extended, the puppet head will be fastened about the wrist of the wearer by suitable fasteners.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,145,445 teaches a device for use in a puppet to effect theatrical motion of the mouth and head by pivoting up the top part of the head while simultaneously lowering the jaw. This method of actuating both parts of the head to simulate mouth movement also allows for rotation, tilting and exchange of the head in a glove type hand puppet.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,610 teaches a mitten set that is arranged to include a first, second, and third glove member to permit simultaneous warming and securement between an adult and an associated child, wherein the first glove member is a first sizing, and the second glove member a second sizing greater than the first sizing. The first glove member and the second glove member each include respective first and second glove member fingers, and the third glove member includes a third glove member finger, as well as a second entrance opening arranged to receive a hand of a child therethrough to permit securement of the individual child within the third glove member to thereby share the third glove member by an associated adult and child.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,361,415 teaches a child's mitten that comprises an insulation member overcovering the hand, including the thumb and fingers. A water-resistant shell covers the insulation member and includes a flared arm portion configured to extend up the wearer's lower arm and over the elbow. An elastic member in a cuff at the upper end of the arm portion holds the mitten above the elbow. An additional elastic member may be placed within the wrist portion to compress it about the wearer's wrist, the insulation member abutting or overcovering the wearer's jacket or coat cuff to maintain a continuous insulative layer over the wearer's wrist. In another feature of the invention, a universal thumb enclosure has a base width equal to the base width of the finger enclosure, or nearly so, enabling its use on either of the wearer's left or right hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,447,461 teaches a hand puppet that includes: a puppet glove to be worn by a player hand, a mouth-manipulating device secured in a head portion of the puppet glove having a mandible plate embedded in a lower-jaw sheath of a mouth portion of the puppet glove and a maxilla plate embedded in an upper-jaw sheath of the mouth portion of the puppet glove, and a sound generator mounted in the mouth-manipulating device, whereby upon pivoting of the maxilla plate about the mandible plate to open the upper-jaw sheath to actuate the sound generator, a sound may be produced from the sound generator for imitating an animal or man's cry or singing for increasing a player's interest.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,269 teaches a toy figure that includes a torso supporting a pair of pivotally secured legs and a pair of pivotally secured arms. One of the legs is further pivotable in an inward direction and is coupled to a pivotal lever supported within the torso interior. One of the arms is coupled to a grasping claw having a fixed jaw and a movable jaw pivotal with respect thereto. A cable mechanism is coupled between the movable jaw and the internally supported lever to provide opening and closing of the grasping claw in response to inward motion of one leg with respect to the torso. The opening and closing of the grasping claw is independent of the pivotal motion of the arm and the rotational motion of the grasping claw and is instead solely dependent upon the inward motion of the coupled leg.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,971,943 teaches a sound-producing toy configured to represent a living being having movable parts to simulate a natural form of animation of a mouth and includes a sound-producing unit operable in the response to the simulated animation. Animation may be simulated by a hand inserted in the toy, by operation of an actuator incorporated in the toy, or by a remote control device. The apparatus includes a switch that activates a sound-producing unit, which produces a sequence of syllables that is capable of being synchronized with the animation of the mouth. The onset, coda, and duration of each syllable's nucleus is controlled by the user of the toy with the ability to synchronize visual animation and the vocal performance of a familiar song, poem, or other series of verbal audio events divided into individual syllables, in a totally realistic manner. In another aspect of the invention, a musical instrumental sequenced performance may be synchronized with the vocal presentation and the synchronized visual animation of the toy.

U.S. Design Pat. No. D512,752 teaches an ornamental design for a glove puppet.

None of the art cited above teaches the present invention, and the present invention has advantages that the prior art lacks. The present invention is simple, easy to manufacture, and easy to clean in a standard washer and dryer. Prior art for gloves and mittens that have an audible component or devices inside for moving the parts of the garment may be difficult to clean because the components or devices may be damaged in a washing machine. Other art cited involves functional features of gloves unrelated to puppets.

None of the art addresses adding an ornamental feature to a protective hand garment to encourage use of the garment by a child or mentally challenged adult. Unlike the prior art, this invention also serves a dual purpose: to protect the hands of the user and to provide entertainment value to the user. The garment of the present invention could be used in many ways to encourage one to wear the glove. The child or mentally challenged adult may be delighted to wear a puppet on their hand and may look forward to wearing and playing with their gloves. They could also play with the glove character during outings when they get bored. For the child or mentally challenged adult who balks at protective hand garments, the character face could be used to encourage them to wear the garments. For instance, a caregiver may pretend the character face is talking, and may tell the child or mentally challenged adult that the character face will only be quiet once the glove is on their hand. The caregiver may also encourage the child by assigning a name and emotions to the character face, such as ‘Cindy kitty will be sad if you don't put her on your hand and warm her face up!’ The caregiver may also play any number of games with the child or mentally challenged adult using the character face on the garment, either to encourage the child or mentally challenged adult to wear the garment or just to entertain the child or mentally challenged adult. The entertainment value is particularly important during outings when other games or toys may not be readily available, such as when running errands and when waiting in line.

The caregiver and child or mentally challenged adult may also have matching or complementary hand garments. The caregiver can then encourage the child or mentally challenged adult to wear the garment by putting on their own version of the garment, and they may come up with many games employing the garments together or individually.

Two or more children or mentally challenged adults may wear the protective hand garments simultaneously and may invent many games based on the garments.

Preferred embodiments of this invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and will be described in more detail herein below.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention is an article of manufacture comprising a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a middle finger region and a character face disposed across the thumb and middle finger regions. The invention solves the problem of convincing children or mentally challenged adults to wear protective hand gear, particularly gloves or mittens. It also provides hand protection and entertainment in one garment. The invention consists of a face or other feature on the hand garment. The face has a mouth or other type of opening that has one portion on the thumb portion of the hand garment, and a second portion on the middle finger portion of the hand garment. The mouth is closed when the hand garment is on the hand and the thumb and forefinger are brought together to touch. While the preferred garment is a glove or mitten to be worn in cold weather, the invention can also be used with lighter fabric or disposable materials to provide germ protection and entertainment value.

It is an object of the invention to provide a means to encourage children and mentally challenged adults to wear protective hand gear.

It is an object of the invention to provide a whimsical character on a protective hand garment.

It is an object of the invention to provide a picture or scene on a protective hand garment.

It is an object of the invention to encourage children and mentally challenged adults to wear gloves or mittens in cold weather.

It is an object of the invention to encourage the use of gloves or mittens in situations where hand protection is required to discourage the spread of disease.

It is an object of the invention to entertain children and mentally challenged adults by playing games with the characters on the hand garments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing character faces on a set of gloves on the hands of the user.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a glove with the thumb distended away from the forefinger such that the mouth of the character face is open.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a cat face disposed on the glove.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a bunny face disposed on the glove.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a Santa face disposed on the glove.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a moveable flap that can conceal or reveal the character face on the glove.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a picture of a rainbow and a pot of gold disposed on the glove.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a picture of a ladybug and a flower disposed on the glove.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing a space scene disposed on the glove.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-6 of the drawings. Identical elements in the various figures are identified with the same reference numerals.

FIG. 1 shows a pair of gloves 100, with a left glove 110 and a right glove 120. Each glove has a thumb region 130, a forefinger region 140, a middle finger region 145 and a character face 150. The character face 150 is disposed such that a lower portion 170 is disposed on the thumb region 130, and an upper portion 160 is disposed on the forefinger region 140. The glove is shown on the hand of the user, with the user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

The gloves are on the hands of the user and the thumb and forefinger are touching in a way that allows the mouth of the character to be closed. Although this figure illustrates the invention with identical character faces on both gloves, the character faces may be the same or different for the right and left gloves, and the invention may be used for mittens or any other type of garment that covers the hand fully or partially, including garments such as but not limited to gloves that are open at the fingertips, and hand garments that extend to cover the arms or other body parts either fully or partially.

FIG. 1 illustrates the character face on the thumb and forefinger region, but the character face may be on any portion of the hand garment up to the middle finger region 210. For instance but not limited to, the face may be in the palm of the hand, or between the ring and pinky fingers. Additionally, the character face may be disposed across two hand garments such that the face is whole when the two hand garments are brought together, such as but not limited to, putting part of the face on the left glove and the other part of the face on the right glove.

Materials for the manufacture of the hand garments include fabrics such as, but not limited to, wool, acrylic, nylon, polyester, elastane, leather, faux leather, canvass, vinyl, cotton, rayon, modal, bamboo, soy, or any combination thereof. Other materials for the hand garments include but are not limited to, fur, plastics, thermoplastics, rubber, synthetic rubber, latex, neoprene, metals, Kevlar, Velcro, any type of paper, or any combination thereof. The character face may be made from any of the above materials and also may employ inks, adhesives, photographs, or any combination thereof.

The face components may be fastened to the hand garment by, but not limited to, sewing, embroidering, using adhesives, using Velcro, snapping. The face may also be integrated into the garment, by, but not limited to, printing onto the garment or weaving into the garment fabric during manufacture.

The character face may be two dimensional or three dimensional. The character face may be an original design, an existing design that is either freely available in the public domain or is used with the owner's permission, or an image that is printed or transferred onto the hand garment, such as a photograph or other digital image. The character face may be anything that can be construed to have a face, including but not limited to, any living being such as humans, animals, reptiles and birds, protozoa, dinosaurs, insects, and plants.

The animal class may contain, but not be limited to, aardvark, addax, alligator, alpaca, anteater, antelope, aoudad, ape, argali, armadillo, baboon, badger, basilisk, bat, bear, beaver, bighorn, bison, boar, budgerigar, buffalo, bull, bunny, burro, camel, canary, capybara, cat, chameleon, chamois, cheetah, chimpanzee, chinchilla, chipmunk, civet, coati, colt, cony, cougar, cow, coyote, crocodile, crow, deer, dingo, doe, dog, donkey, dormouse, dromedary, duckbill, dugong, eland, elephant, elk, ermine, ewe, fawn, ferret, finch, fish, fox, frog, gazelle, gemsbok, gila monster, giraffe, gnu, goat, gopher, gorilla, grizzly bear, ground hog, guanaco, guinea pig, hamster, hare, hartebeest, hedgehog, hippopotamus, hog, horse, hyena, ibex, iguana, impala, jackal, jaguar, jerboa, kangaroo, kid, kinkajou, kitten, koala, koodoo, lamb, lemur, leopard, lion, lizard, llama, lovebird, lynx, mandrill, mare, marmoset, marten, mink, mole, mongoose, monkey, moose, mountain goat, mouse, mule, musk deer, musk-ox, muskrat, mustang, mynah bird, newt, ocelot, okapi, opossum, orangutan, oryx, otter, ox, panda, panther, parakeet, parrot, peccary, pig, platypus, polar bear, pony, porcupine, porpoise, prairie dog, pronghorn, puma, puppy, quagga, rabbit, raccoon, ram, rat, reindeer, reptile, rhinoceros, roebuck, salamander, seal, sheep, shrew, silver fox, skunk, sloth, snake, springbok, squirrel, stallion, steer, tapir, tiger, toad, turtle, vicuna, walrus, warthog, waterbuck, weasel, whale, wildcat, wolf, wolverine, wombat, woodchuck, and zebra.

The face may also be that of an inanimate object, including but not limited to, automobiles, buildings, furniture, toys, nature displays, fruits, vegetables, clouds, raindrops, the sun, planets, household items, construction items, geometric shapes such as but not limited to stars or triangles, or any item that can be made to show a face. The faces may include, but are not limited to rockets, insects, ladybugs, flowers, rainbows, planes and dinosaurs.

FIG. 2 shows the left glove 110 with the character face 150. FIG. 2 illustrates what a glove looks like with the forefinger region 140 separated from the thumb region 130, so that the upper portion of the character face 160 and the lower portion of the character face 170 are not touching. The dashed lines on FIG. 2 further illustrate the approximate geographical areas of forefinger region 140 and middle finger region 210. In a preferred embodiment, the character face 150 is defined by the middle finger region 145 to the thumb region 130 to the middle finger region 210, and most preferably thumb region 130 to forefinger region 140. Where FIG. 1 showed the character face 150 with its mouth closed, FIG. 2 shows character face 150 with its mouth open. FIG. 2 also shows glove opening 190, middle finger region 210, ring finger region 220, pinky finger region 230, and hand back region 240.

FIG. 3 shows the left glove 110 with a cat face 350. Cat face 350 has an upper portion 360 and a lower portion 370. Glove 110 has a thumb region 130, a forefinger region 140, a glove opening 190, and a user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate that the character can represent a season, such as but not limited to, the Easter Bunny or a personified egg for Easter; Santa Claus, Frosty the Snowman, a reindeer, elf, personified star or tree for Christmas; a personified dreidel or menorah for Hanukkah; a leprechaun or personified shamrock for St. Patrick's Day; a ghost, pumpkin or witch for Halloween, or any other holiday symbols, either living or capable of being personified with a face.

FIG. 4 shows the left glove 110 with a bunny face 450. Bunny face 450 has an upper portion 460 and a lower portion 470. Glove 110 has a thumb region 130, a forefinger region 140, a glove opening 190, and a user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

FIG. 5 shows the left glove 110 with a Santa face 550. Santa face 550 has an upper portion 560 and a lower portion 570. Glove 110 has a thumb region 130, a forefinger region 140, a glove opening 190, and a user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

FIG. 6 shows the left glove 110 with a character face 150. Character face 150 has an upper portion 160, and a lower portion 170. Glove 110 has a thumb region 130, a forefinger region 140, a glove opening 190, a middle finger region 210, a ring finger region 220, a pinky finger region 230, and hand back region 240. FIG. 6 illustrates a moveable flap 610 that can be placed in position to cover and hide the character face 150, or can be flipped up or removed to reveal the character face 150. Flap 610 can be an integral part of the hand garment or can be attached by means, including but not limited to, Velcro to make it removable. Although the flap is shown as a particular shape in FIG. 6, this is for illustrative purposes only, and the flap can be of any shape, including but not limited to, the shape of the character or other face it's covering, any geometric shape such as a polygon, star or circle, and it can be placed and fastened on any side or sides of the character or other face.

Also illustrated in FIG. 6 is that the glove may have a method of keeping the flap 610 open, by employing a device such as but not limited to, a male securing tab 620 on hand back 240 that corresponds to a female securing tab 630 on flap 610. The glove can be manufactured with or without the male securing tab 620 and female securing tab 630. The securing tab can be made using fastening devices that include but are not limited to, Velcro, a snap, or a pair of tie strings. The flap and fastening device can be made of any of the materials outlined above in discussion of FIG. 1. The same method and materials could be employed to keep the flap closed.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate the invention using an inanimate scene in place of the character face on the glove. The scenes may include, but are not limited to rockets, insects, ladybugs, flowers, rainbows, planes and dinosaurs. The inanimate scene is completed when the thumb is opened or closed, most preferably when it is closed against the forefinger region. Materials for the manufacture of the hand garments include fabrics such as, but not limited to, wool, acrylic, nylon, polyester, elastane, leather, faux leather, canvass, vinyl, cotton, rayon, modal, bamboo, soy, or any combination thereof. Other materials for the hand garments include but are not limited to, fur, plastics, thermoplastics, rubber, synthetic rubber, latex, neoprene, metals, Kevlar, Velcro, any type of paper, or any combination thereof. The picture or scene may be made from any of the above materials and also may employ inks, adhesives, photographs, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 7 shows a left glove 110 with a picture that is completed when the thumb is touching the forefinger. The glove 110 has rainbow 710 on the forefinger region 140, that ends in a pot of gold 720 when the thumb region 130 and forefinger region 140 are touching as illustrated. When the thumb region 130 and forefinger region 140 are spread apart, the rainbow may be ‘looking for its pot of gold.’ Glove 110 has a middle finger region 210, a ring finger region 220, a glove opening 190, and a user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

FIG. 8 shows a left glove 110 with ladybug 810 on the glove forefinger region 140, and a flower 820 on the glove thumb region 130. When the thumb and the forefinger are touching, as in the FIG. 8, the ladybug has ‘landed’ on the flower. When the thumb and forefinger are spread apart, the ladybug has ‘flown away.’ FIG. 8 also shows that glove 110 has a middle finger region 210, a ring finger region 220, glove opening 190, and a user arm 180 extending from the glove opening 190.

FIG. 9 shows left glove 110 with a space ship and stars scene 910 disposed across the forefinger region 140 and middle finger region 210, with a planet and star scene 920 disposed across thumb region 130. When the thumb region 130 and forefinger region 140 are touching, the spaceship may be ‘landing’ on the planet. In particular, glove 110 may have a middle finger region touchpoint 145 and a thumb region touch point 135 which touch when thumb region 130 is closed against forefinger region 140. When the thumb region 130 and the forefinger region 140 are spread apart, the spaceship may be ‘hunting for the planet.’ FIG. 9 also shows ring finger region 220, pinky finger region 230, hand back region 240, and glove opening 190.

Picture or scene components may be fastened to the hand garment by, but not limited to, sewing, embroidering, using adhesives, using Velcro, snapping. They may also be integrated into the garment, by, but not limited to, printing onto the garment or weaving into the garment fabric during manufacture.

Picture or scene components may be two dimensional or three dimensional. The picture or scene may be an original design, an existing design that is either freely available in the public domain or is used with the owner's permission, or an image that is printed or transferred onto the hand garment, such as a photograph or other digital image.

Although this invention has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it is to be understood that the present disclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerous changes in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention.

Claims

1. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a) a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a middle finger region; and

b) a character face disposed across the thumb and middle finger regions.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the glove or mitten is for a right hand.

3. The article of claim 1, wherein the glove or mitten is for a left hand.

4. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is embroidered on to the glove or mitten.

5. The article of claim 1, wherein the glove or mitten is made from a material selected from the group consisting of wool, cotton, nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber, plastic, leather, or combinations thereof.

6. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is at least partially formed from external ornamentation representing facial features, and the facial features are selected from the group consisting of eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, whiskers, teeth, horns, antlers, hats or combinations thereof.

7. The article of claim 6, wherein the character face is formed using a combination of embroidery and external ornamentation.

8. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is printed across the thumb and forefinger regions.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is selected from the group of animals, holiday faces, dinosaurs, cartoon characters, Prince, or Princess.

10. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face has a silly expression, a happy expression or a scary expression.

11. The article of claim 9, wherein the face is an animal face, and the animal face is a cat face, a bunny face, or a bear face.

12. The article of claim 9, wherein the face is a holiday face, and the face is selected from the group consisting of Santa, Frosty the Snowman, a reindeer, a witch, a pumpkin or a ghost.

13. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is stitched onto the mitten or glove.

14. The article of claim 1, wherein the character face is adhered to onto the mitten or glove using an adhesive.

15. A pair of gloves or mittens made according to claim 1.

16. A method of inducing children to wear their gloves, comprising:

affixing a character face to the thumb and forefinger regions of a pair of gloves.

17. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a) a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a forefinger region; and

b) an inanimate scene, the inanimate scene becoming complete when the thumb region touches the forefinger region.

18. The article of claim 17, wherein the glove or mitten is made from a material selected from the group consisting of wool, cotton, nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber, plastic, leather, or combinations thereof.

19. The article of claim 17, wherein the thumb region has a touch point and the forefinger region has a touchpoint, and the scene is completed when the forefinger region touchpoint and the thumb region touchpoint touch.

20. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a) a glove or mitten having a thumb region and a forefinger region; and

b) an inanimate scene, the inanimate scene becoming complete when the thumb region does not touch the forefinger region.

21. The article of claim 20, wherein the glove or mitten is made from a material selected from the group consisting of wool, cotton, nylon, rubber, synthetic rubber, plastic, leather, or combinations thereof.

22. The article of claim 21, wherein the scene is two dimensional or three dimensional