Imagine this: Martha Stewart has an identical twin. There's nothing worse than the queen of perfection two times over -- especially if you also imagine the Marthas are almost eighteen years old and filthy rich. You're double-taking everywhere because there she is on the Today show, Oprah, late-night TV, and even in the bookstore, Wal-Mart and Kmart! The jealous repulsion created by this image equals the reaction that many people have to the Olsen twins. They're so pretty, so perfect, so rich, and so many love to hate them.

Now keep that Martha Stewart image in your head because the comparison isn't that far off. The convict Martha and the infamous Olsen duo both have established media empires. Beginning with their modest roots on television, they expanded their markets into name-branded product lines at Kmart and Wal-mart, respectively. But Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen recently made their big screen debut in New York Minute, while Martha Stewart will try to stay out of jail. Mary-Kate and Ashley started early and are competing strongly, while Martha appears to be fading away.

America first saw the Olsen twins in the charming sitcom Full House, when they shared the role of cute baby Michelle. The show lasted 8 seasons, through which Michelle learned to walk and talk and even started kindergarten. With the end of the series, the demand for the Olsen twins didn't diminish. Under the auspices of their own production company, Mary-Kate and Ashley continued to make high-grossing videos and popular made-for-cable sitcoms. Their movies featured the twins traveling around the world, getting in trouble and usually falling in love. Their cable TV shows Two of a Kind (ABC, 1998) and So Little Time (ABC Family) showcased them going to high school, acting up in the classroom and yes, usually falling in love.

The Olsen twins have marketed this formula across generations. Their successes over a short life span of just eighteen years prove that they are television's princesses. Today, Mary-Kate and Ashley are each worth an estimated $150 million. They've earned stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame; they are hosting the Saturday Night Live season finale; and in their first big screen movie, they share the stage with comedic stars Eugene Levy, Andy Richter, and Darrell Hammond.

What is the secret to their success? I used to think it was their teenage sex appeal. Some guy friends of mine in college hung a poster of the Olsen twins in their bathroom. Every time I used the facilities, I would think in disgust of college guys and their dirty minds. But Mary-Kate and Ashley didn't make their millions from horny young men. Their videos, their Wal-mart clothing line and all the Olsen products are marketed to preteen girls.

I cruised the local Wal-mart to uncover the appeal of their apparel. First I discovered Mary-Kate and Ashley's line of chokers, earrings, anklets and toe-rings, which are sold in pairs for $3.97 or less. The Olsens also dominate the girls' clothing section. Mary-Kate and Ashley's faces gaze over the hangers, bidding little girls to try their clothing. Their affordable line of apparel (averaging at about $10 apiece) is also stylish, matching preppie shapes and colors with hints of trendy flowers and hippie patterns. These clothes, in addition to their sporty styles and bathing suits, match the girls' beach-bum image from the sitcom So Little Time.

Although Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen's line prominently features their names and faces on the tag and all signage, there is no branding on the actual clothing. Absent are tank tops silkscreened with pictures of the twins or embroidered names on the collar or the pocket. In contrast, Wal-mart's other products employ these tactics. The store markets a plethora of styles that exploit the images of various television characters. Little girls can choose from t-shirts and bathing suits with pictures of Kim Possible, Lizzie Maguire, Dora the Explorer, or even an old mainstay like Disney's Alice in Wonderland.

But the Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen image sells itself so it doesn't have to advertise on t-shirts and bikinis. An 11-year-old, Liat, returned from her ballet class to talk with me about the Olsen twins. She became a fan watching cute Michelle grow up on Full House, and she says "they're good actors, and I think they're cool." Liat once wore an outfit from their clothing line at a dance show. She also loves the way the twins are dressed in the preview for New York Minute. She can't wait to see them on the big screen.

Mary-Kate and Ashley market an image of style and class to little girls like Liat. Their characters provide a wholesome role model for these kids, and their clever Hollywood stylists have designed a look that encourages the twins' young viewers to think they are really cool. New York Minute will solidify their role as trend-setters. The movie provides two accessible images of cool: Ashley Olsen plays "uptight-overachiever-Jane," and Mary-Kate Olsen is "laid-back-rock-rebel-Roxy." Jane's look is a sophisticated office casual, with sleek suits and cute pumps. Roxy wears hip jeans and a cocky hat. As Eugene Levy's character chases them around New York, the girls look flawlessly fashionable as they get out of trouble and attract a couple of cute guys.

So the Olsen formula strikes again. I suspect that Mary-Kate and Ashley's success won't come to a tragic Martha Stewart end. Girls like Liat will want to see their favorite twins onscreen again. They'll be interested in what the Olsens will wear, what kind of trouble they'll get into, and who they'll fall in love with. These curious preteens will keep watching the characters' idealistic lives and hope to mimic them. New York Minute very likely also will appeal to older audiences familiar with Levy in the American Pie series or Andy Richter on late-night's Conan O'Brien Show.

Mary-Kate Olsen and Ashley Olsen are a high-grossing Hollywood mainstay, and their proven ability to share the screen with venerable talent will earn them more blockbuster opportunities in the future. At seventeen, television's princesses have graduated, Hollywood-style.