Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jul. 28, 2012	Aug. 16, 2012
Document Information [Line Items]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Jul. 28, 2012
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2012
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Trading Symbol	HOTT
Entity Registrant Name	HOT TOPIC INC /CA/
Entity Central Index Key	0001017712
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--02-02
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		42,282,382