POKEMON CUTTING INTO SANTA CLAUS' TURF

POKEMON CUTTING INTO SANTA CLAUS' TURF

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (Wireless Flash) -- Pokemon monsters are edging Santa Claus out of a lot of photo ops this year. Sears Portrait Studio -- which is adding Pokemon monsters to its holiday list of characters kids can pose with -- predicts 30 percent of customers will pose with a character besides Santa this year. Pikachu and the gang may be the most popular, but kids are also selecting a sitting with the "Blue's Clues" dog and the characters from "Toy Story." A spokesperson says the trend toward St. Nick alternatives is being fueled by kids under the age of 5 who would rather pose with familiar characters from TV, movies or books. Meanwhile, Susen Mesco, who runs a school for Santas in Boulder, Colorado, says she doesn't think Santa will be forced into early retirement because kids practically hyperventilate whenever Santa walks in the room.