So I recently heard from one Kaycee Militante, mermaid aficionado and proprietor of the ridiculously cute Applejack Apparel, where you can buy super inexpensive, handcrafted tails for the little mermaids (and mermen) in your life. Here’s their Facebook page, which you should probably follow because everyone’s day gets brighter when looking at squawking moppets in mermaid tails. I mean look how cute these things are (they even come with requisite flower headbands)!
I know. I have now solved your what-to-bring-to-the-baby-shower dilemmas forever, and you can thank me with fan mail and ca$h. In a further act of selflessness, I recently asked KayCee about her company and those shimmery-tailed creatures generally.
So why did you start Apple Jack Apparel? What inspired you?
I started Applejack Apparel when my daughter, who was three at the time, saw some videos of girls in mermaid tails on YouTube and begged for one of her own. I saw there were several shops that sold tails, but they were very high-end and I thought I could make her one for a lower price.
Have you always loved mermaids?
I’ve loved mermaids since I saw Peter Pan! The jealous girl mermaids were so cute… Later I loved The Little Mermaid, which came out just when I was still a kid, and I’ve had a blast watching that movie with my daughter, who prefers Ariel over the rest of the princesses..
Pretty ridiculous, right?
Do you identify as a mermaid in any way?
Well, I love swimming! And I have long hair, and I like to sing.
What has the response been to your tails (from kids and adults)?
I get uplifting emails from customers regularly, and that is the best part of owning this kind of a business! When I hear that one of our tails made a birthday dream come true or that a little girl doesn’t want to take hers off, it really makes my day. The best responses often come to us on Facebook, where people submit some amazing pictures of happy girls posing in their mermaid tails. I also take pride in the craftsmanship—we have a lot of positive reviews that mention the craftsmanship and the fabric.
Why do you think little girls love mermaids so much?
Mermaids are elusive and beautiful! They live in a part of the world that is mysterious, and the idea that they are separated from our world can be both tragic and intriguing.
I know you have a daughter/mermaid of your own—what does she think of them?
Nina wore the first tail I made to bed the first night, and cried when having to decide whether she would take it into the tub or to bed for the first few days… like so many interests she’s had, the mermaid obsession was urgent and intense for awhile, but now she’s more into Monster High and drawing. She still agrees to model whenever I have something new to share, and she and her brother play in the bath tub sill (he has a shark tail!)
Any exciting plans for the future? Have you considered making more swimmable tails and/or making tails for adults?
We have made tails for adults! We can do custom orders for babies and grown ups. Making the grown-up top was a bit of a challenge at first! Also, my son has a shark tail that I’ll be listing in our online shop, too. We could make a tail to fit over a mono-fin at some point, but for now I’m enjoying making affordable things for little girls.
What advice do you have for aspiring mermaids, young and old?
Indulge your imagination! Write and draw your adventures, or video them so you can look back someday and remember. Be playful in life and have fun with what you do and who you are.
I am a mermaid 
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