BAPE Kids Hoodie

BAPE’s most famous hoodie design wasn’t inspired by streetwear at all — it was inspired by warplanes. The shark-face graphic that wraps around the hood, teeth and all, is lifted straight from WWII fighter plane nose art, the same kind of paint job squadrons like the Flying Tigers used to strike fear from the sky. BAPE turned that into a full-zip hood in 2004, and it’s been the brand’s signature silhouette ever since. The BAPE Kids Hoodie collection brings that same design, in kid-safe form, down to toddler and youth sizes.

The Shark Hoodie’s Real Origin

Nose art — painting a face or emblem on the front of a fighter plane — dates back to WWII squadrons looking to intimidate on sight, and the shark-mouth design in particular became one of the most recognized versions of it. BAPE’s founder brought that exact visual into streetwear in 2004 with a hoodie that zipped all the way to the top of the hood, something no major brand had done before. Fully zipped, the hood becomes the shark’s face; the chest carries a varsity-style “WGM” patch, short for “World Gone Mad.” It’s the piece most people picture when they picture BAPE at all, adult or kids’ line.

Built to Meet Kids’ Safety Standards

One thing worth knowing before buying any children’s hoodie, BAPE included: U.S. federal safety regulation (based on ASTM F1816-97 and enforced by the CPSC since 2011) prohibits drawstrings at the hood and neck of children’s outerwear in sizes 2T through 12, due to a genuine strangulation and entanglement risk on things like playground slides and car doors. Compliant kids’ hoodies use alternative closures — zippers, snaps, elastic, or toggle-free cording — instead. When shopping BAPE Kids Hoodie styles, check the product listing for closure type, especially on pieces in the affected size range, and remove any loose hood drawstring if one is ever present on an older or resold piece.

Shop by Style

Shark Full-Zip Hoodies — The signature design, hood zipping fully closed to form the shark face, sized down from the adult silhouette.

Ape Head Pullover Hoodies — A simpler front-graphic hoodie without the full-zip hood detail, easier for younger kids to pull on and off independently.

Fit and Fabric Notes

BAPE Kids hoodies are generally heavier-weight cotton fleece than a typical mass-market kids’ hoodie, matching the construction of the adult line rather than a lighter licensed-character sweatshirt. Because of that weight, many parents size up slightly for room to layer underneath in colder months — similar logic to the knitwear line, but with fleece rather than knit construction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Does the BAPE Kids Hoodie have a hood drawstring? 

Ans: Compliant children’s hoodies in sizes 2T–12 shouldn’t have a functional neck or hood drawstring, per U.S. safety regulation — check the specific listing’s closure details before buying, particularly for resold or older pieces.

Q2: What makes the Shark Hoodie design different from a normal hoodie? 

Ans: The zipper runs all the way to the top of the hood rather than stopping at the neckline, so when fully zipped the hood itself forms the shark’s face graphic.

Q3: Is BAPE Kids hoodie fabric the same as the adult line? 

Ans: Generally yes — a heavier cotton fleece than typical kids’ sweatshirts, which is part of why it runs a bit heavier and warmer than a basic hoodie.

Q4: What age range does the BAPE Kids Hoodie collection fit? 

And: The collection spans toddler through youth sizing, roughly ages 2 to 10, consistent with the rest of the BAPE Kids line.