Document and Entity Information	3 Months Ended
	Apr. 28, 2012	May 16, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Apr. 28, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	HOTT
Entity Registrant Name	HOT TOPIC INC /CA/
Entity Central Index Key	0001017712
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--01-28
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		42,182,796