licensed 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

FTC Food Marketing to Kids Update: Are Watchdogs All Bark No Bite?

September 9, 2010 by Amy Jussel 5 Comments

Sept. 9, 2010 Where are we now with the whole junk food marketing to kids/obesity prevention discussion? Feels like we’ve been TALKING about "candy bars for breakfast" and citing Pink Princess Fairytale Flakes with ads for sugary slop on TV out the wazoo, along with advergaming (embedded digital trolling, seeding unhealthy junk food) and yet “the more things change, the more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Nutrition & Wellness, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth Tagged With: 360Kid, ad industry self regulation, advergaming, Advertising Walk of Fame, Amy-Jussel, Appetite for Profit, Better for You, brain behavior, brandwashing, CDD, childhood obesity, coaxing kids, consumer protection, Disney, farmers markets, fast food, fitness exercise, food fight, food for thought, food marketing, fresh approach, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, FTC, health, healthy habits, junk-food, Kids, kids nutrition, kids-food-products, licensed cartoon characters, lifestyle cancers, love your veggies, media-literacy, More Matters, Nickelodeon, obesity prevention, parenting, PCFMA, persuasion, pester power, pink princess fairytale flakes, Pop-Culture, produce, Produce better health, RWJF, school gardens, Scott Traylor, September fruits and veggies, snack attack, Strawberries, sugary cereals, sugary shrek, tweens and teens, vegetables, veggies, wellness, wholesome snacks, Yum brands

Should Kids’ Cartoons Sell Fruit & Veggies? Brandwashing Revisited

September 16, 2009 by Amy Jussel 9 Comments

Sept. 16, 2009 Erma Bombeck once said, “My children refuse to eat anything that hasn’t danced on TV.” Quick! Mind snap: Did you blink to California Raisins boogieing to “Heard it Through the Grapevine?” If so, you’ve been ‘brandwashed’ by that award-winning iconic campaign from FCB so long ago… Next week on Sept. 21, two familiar icons and two slogans will be voted into … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Nutrition & Wellness, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image Tagged With: Advertising Walk of Fame, American Greetings, Better for You, brain behavior, brandwashing, California raisins, coaxing kids, Disney, farmers markets, fresh approach, fresh produce, fruits and vegetables, health, healthy habits, Icons, Kids, kids-food-products, licensed cartoon characters, licensing, love your veggies, makeover, More Matters, Nickelodeon, PCFMA, persuasion, pester power, Pop-Culture, produce, Produce better health, Sara-Grimes, September fruits and veggies, snack attack, Strawberries, Strawberry-Shortcake, vegetables, veggies, wholesome snacks

Consider This: Virtual Worlds In Institutional Settings

May 7, 2009 by Amy Jussel 2 Comments

May 7, 2009 See this smiling face? Meet my goddaughter, Lara, who recently turned 12. We gifted her an Elf Island 'virtual world' membership for 'premium content' as part of her B-Day celebration. Why? 1.) It was one of the few things I KNEW she didn't have (living afar and gift-guessing is dicey) 2.) She's a VERY social only child who loves to chat and make new friends 3.) … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: AAP, ad free, ad-creep, arcade games, blurred boundaries, brand influence, branding, CCFC, commercialism, commercialism in hospitals, commercialism in schools, consumption, Critical-thinking-skills, Disney, doing good, Dora the Explorer, Eco-Childs-Play, Electronic Pacifier, Elf-Island, entertainment industry, follow the money, gaming, gaming addiction, Georgia, GoodQuests, Great Turtle Race, hospital influence, hospitals, Immersive Worlds, infant formula, institutional precedent, institutions, licensed cartoon characters, Liz and Craig Kronenberger, media-literacy, medical marketing, Nationwide Children's Hospital, NCH, OLPC, pediatrics, plant trees, Premium Content, pro-social, schools, subscriber model, video games, Virtual-Worlds, VMK, VW, Wyland