FOR KIDS : Malls Staging Entertainment for Stroller Set

Parents with small children often look for new types of entertainment during the day to eliminate some of the tedium of Monday-through-Friday existence.

Several area shopping malls, including Topanga Plaza and Fallbrook Mall in Canoga Park and Northridge Fashion Center, have spotted this need and begun scheduling free children’s entertainment on a weekly basis.

Topanga Plaza Kids Club, the oldest, is considered by many to be the Mercedes-Benz of shopping center shows for children because of its scope and size. It is geared to children 2 to 5.

The shows are held at 10 a.m. every Tuesday and Thursday on the mall’s lower level near the May Co. The mall is located at Topanga Canyon and Victory boulevards. The shows regularly draw more than 300 parents, toddlers and younger siblings in a sea of strollers in varying shades and designs.

Mothers and fathers “help shape the focus of Kids Club’s weekly entertainment fare,” said Ron Merkin, whose Center Ring Productions, a special events company, began the shows two years ago at Topanga Plaza.

Merkin estimated that last year more than 14,000 attended Kids Club shows. Merkin keeps a tight rein on the list of performers. If some don’t work well with children or if the audience doesn’t seem to respond favorably, the performers are dropped. Recent Kids Club acts that have been well received are singer Tahra Parker, balladeer Bob Harrison and the rock group Craig & Co. starring Craig Taubman. Other acts have included a Pee-wee Herman impersonator, clowns and puppeteers.

The 30-minute performances are followed by drawings for prizes donated by mall merchants, ranging from buckets of popcorn to boxes of chocolates. A fashion show is scheduled every other month, with clothes from mall shops modeled by moms and kids.

Fallbrook’s Wednesdays Are for Kids programs aren’t quite as well-attended as Topanga Plaza’s, perhaps because of a lack of sufficient seating and an occasionally failing sound system. The acts are similar to Topanga Plaza’s, although the target age range is from infants to 7 years, said Bill Bagnall, the show’s manager.

Bagnall said Fallbrook is planning to increase seating capacity, revamp the sound system and pass out prizes and goodies.

Its programs are scheduled at 10:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesdays across from the Nintendo store at the mall on Fallbrook Avenue between Victory Boulevard and Vanowen Street in Canoga Park.

Northridge Fashion Center’s Kids’ Korner, which began in January, already is drawing crowds of youngsters and their families. The sound system and seating in the May Co. Court seem adequate.

According to director Angela Giacobbe, the shows are aimed at children ages 5 and younger. Recent programs have included a puppet show with a crowd-pleasing 10-foot giraffe and an arts-and-crafts presentation.

The Northridge center program registers children as Kids’ Korner members, which make them eligible for personalized gift packets on their next visits.

Northridge Fashion Center’s Kids’ Korner is held at 10 a.m. every Thursday. The center is at Nordhoff Street and Tampa Avenue in Northridge.

* Topanga Plaza Kids Club schedule for May includes:

Tuesday and Thursday: Sunshine and Co. presents a puppet show.

May 21 and 23: Twinkles the Clown tells stories and sings songs.

May 28 and 30: Tahra Parker.

For more information, call the Topanga Plaza Kids Club, (818) 347-4600.

* Fallbrook’s Wednesdays Are for Kids schedule for May includes:

Wednesday: T-Bone the Clown entertains with face-painting, magic and kid-participation games.

May 22: Bobbo the Clown.

May 30: Gymboree presents an instructional program of gymnastics, songs and games.

For further information, call the Fallbrook hot line, (818) 340-5871.

* Northridge Fashion Center’s May schedule includes:

Thursday: We Care Characters and Rainbow the Clown appear.

May 23: Bobbo the Clown.

May 30: Mark Paskell not only performs circus stunts but teaches some to children as well.

Information: (818) 885-9700.