Tie has animated competition as top Father's Day gift

The old cliche Father's Day gift, the necktie, is enjoying a bit of a resurgence this weekend, apparently thanks to a style made popular by game show host Regis Philbin.

But the "millionaire" look of matching dark-colored ties and shirt might have been overshadowed by a talking rubber fish if supplies hadn't run out.

And local clothing store managers said Saturday, recent hot weather has encouraged sales of men's walking shorts and knit shirts as presents.

Billy the Bigmouth Bass is a plaque-mounted rubber fish that wiggles, talks and sings songs like "Take me to the river - Drop me in the water" and "Don't worry - Be happy."

The battery-power bass was shipped to stores a few weeks ago in anticipation of Father's Day and the opening of fishing season.

"Billy is the hottest item to come along in a long time," Carson City Gottschalks store manager Sue St. Marie said. "If I had them to sell, they would have been the top Father's Day item. As it was, they were gone in an hour and we gave out 300 rain checks on them."

The story was much the same at J.C. Penney's. Senior merchandising assistant Holly Klena said the store's singing bass supply was sold out the first two weeks.

"It has been really busy for Father's Day, mostly in men's shorts and the 'millionaire' ties - the Regis Philbin thing," Klena said.

St. Marie and Mervyn's store manager Diana Montalvo both said the summer casual look was popular, with polo shirts and walking or Bermuda shorts selling well.

"In the fun gifts, the big thing has been the T-shirts that kids can color for Dad," Montalvo said. "They've got designs printed on them like coloring books and come with colored markers that won't wash out."

While Father's Day is good for sales, it hasn't quite reached the level of its older counterpart, Mother's Day.

"It's a bit calmer than Mother's Day and this year's Father's Day sales have been about average for the past couple of years," Klena said.