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Ateenybopper is a youngteenager, typically a girl, who follows adolescenttrends in music, fashion, and culture. The term may have been coined bymarketing professionals andpsychologists, later becoming asubculture of its own.[1][2] The term was introduced in the 1950s[3] to refer to teenagers who mainly listened to popular music and/orrock and roll and not much else.Teenybopper became widely used again in the late 1960s and early 1970s, following an increase in the marketing of pop music, teen idols and fashions aimed specifically at younger girls, generally 10–15 years old.[2][4]
In the 1960s, a new type of music appeared, different from theTin Pan Alley music school, but molded by it.[5] It was no longer written by the old established songwriters of Tin Pan Alley, but by young people.[5] They helped to establish the newteen idols and wrote the so-called "teeny bopper songs", which "blendsoft rock withpop ballad".[5]
The difference that the 70s' "Teeny Bopper syndrome" had with prior idol phenomena was that these new teen idols were directed at even younger girls, down to 15 years old, who were too young to have heardthe Beatles and were not attracted to the newhard rock music of the time that their elder siblings listened to.[4] This new market has a quick turnover potential and it boosted the benefits of many broadcasting companies.[4]
The teenybopper idol image is that of the young boy next door, with "girlish" looks and singing about longing for romance.[5][6] Their music is consumed by young girls, who collect posters andpin ups.[4][5]