cartoon characters

Deconstructing Spongebob, Pt2: A Preschool Parenting Lens

September 20, 2011 by Amy Jussel 1 Comment

Sept. 20, 2011 In part one, the prelude to this post, I tried to frame the notion of critical thinking skills as a sphere to hold up to the light and rotate slowly instead of banging out opinions in point-counterpoint opposite spectrum and debate polarity. Partly that's because the two focal points I was covering (CCFC's rub with Spongebob Spongebob preschool merchandising … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, cognitive science, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, executive function, fast-paced TV, Karen Dahl, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool brain science, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Deconstructing Spongebob: Reasoning, Research, & Critical Thinking

September 19, 2011 by Amy Jussel 6 Comments

Sept. 19, 2011 “So, Amy, whose side are you on with the pundits talking and the press reporting about the new University of Virginia Spongebob research?” Whaaaa? Sides? Really? That's cartoonish, like this editorial/visual statement at Beartoons.com at left... Last I checked, the ability to use critical thinking skills was rarely a "one-sided" stance. I tend to take a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad-creep, AngrySlop, brains and TV, branding-youth, cartoon characters, Cartoon Monickers, cartoon-products, cartoons influence, CCFC, child development, childrens cognitive inability to understand, commercial brands, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, David Kleeman, editorial cartoons, executive function, fast-paced TV, Kids TV, licensed cartoon characters, media watchdogs, media-literacy, merchandising, mugging of Spongebob, neuro cognition, Nickelodeon, pediatrics, pester power, Preschool marketing, Preschool programming, PTC, self-regulation, Spongebob Research, Spongebob Squarebutts, Spongebob Squarepants, University of Virginia, working memory

Dora The Explorer: Discover the World, Not the Mall

February 26, 2009 by Amy Jussel 24 Comments

Feb. 26, 2009 Oh fer cripes sakes. Say it ain’t so. Is Dora the Explorer getting a makeover and turning tween TOO?! Leave her alone! This "age-compression" bit is putting a new dent in my TMJ-clenched jaw as we once again see marketers "vy for the buy" with zero regard for the integrity of the message being delivered. Just LOOK at the cues being sent to ‘tween girls’ as … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: age compression, APA sexualization study, bilingual, Boots the monkey, cartoon characters, cartoons, Dora the Explorer, Early-Sexualization, Facelifts, female superheroes, Hardy Girls Healthy Women, Kids, Lyn Mikel-Brown, makeovers, Manga, Mattel, Packaging-Girlhood, Parent Dish, preschool, Sharon Lamb, Silk Spectre, Strawberry-Shortcake, tweens, Viacom, Watchmen