Mattel

TOADY Awards: Vote for Worst Toy and Inspire Change

December 4, 2014 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Dec. 4, 2014 Every year I twist into a cartoon grimace and let out an “AAUGH!” like Charlie Brown when I scan the CCFC contenders on the TOADY "worst toys" list. (TOADY=Toys Oppressive And Destructive … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism, Damaging Drek Tagged With: Barbie body image, Barbie Girl Scout doll, Barbie remixed, Barbie Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, branding kids toys, CCFC, commercialism, consumption junction, corporate ad creep, Discover the forest, encouraging STEM, Feminist Hacker Barbie, Girl Scout Barbie, girl scouts, GSA, I can be anything Barbie, in-school marketing, junk food branding, kids commercialism, Lego Friends, Let Toys Be Toys, Life size Barbie, Mattel, Mattel branding, McDonalds toys, Nestle Quik cookie drink, nonprofit commercialism, Shell Oil Lego, TOADY Awards, toxic toys

The Tooth Fairy Is Not A Brand. Parents…Arise!

July 22, 2013 by Amy Jussel 9 Comments

Aug. 6, 2013 Update! Honored to be accurately quoted in this pithy parenting prose by Heidi Stevens in The Chicago Tribune's thrilled to see all the parenting pushback on Twitter that CCFC put … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Branding & Consumerism Tagged With: ADA, Amy-Jussel, baby teeth, backdoor branding, brandwashing, CCFC, child exploitation, childhood rites of passage, children’s icons, Commercialization of Childhood, Consumerism, corporate accountability, corporate profiteering, dentists, direct marketing to kids, Disney Dia de los Muertos, Disney-Princesses, Equestria Girls, family narratives, Gender Portrayal, Hasbro, imagination, imaginative play, Mattel, media siege, media-literacy, My Little Pony rebranding, Official Real Tooth Fairy Dentist, parenting peeves, parents under siege, Pinkification, Pop culture impact on kids, princess culture, Save the Tooth Fairy, sexploitation, sexualization of children, Stop Corporate Abuse, storytelling, The Real Tooth Fairies, The Tooth Fairy, toy industry complicity, trademarking a holiday, trust breach, unethical marketing, Vapid Values

Beyond Merida: Toy Industry Complicity in Marketing Vapid Values

May 6, 2013 by Amy Jussel Leave a Comment

Update May 11, 2015 Could the caped crusader cavalry be coming in the form of sheroes and indie offerings like IAmElemental and Roominate and Lottie Dolls? Sure hope so! If you need a bit of joy … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Sexualization & Body Image Tagged With: American Girl, Amy-Jussel, APA report early sexualization, beauty ideal, Brave, Brave Girls Want, Consuming kids, Disney-Princesses, Gender, gender and media portrayals, Lego, Mattel, Merida, Merida makeover, redefining girly, Sexualization, sheroes, So Sexy So Soon, spark change, stereotypes-girls, toy industry

Bratzillaz, Novi Stars, Monster High: Same Sexualized SnoreFest

July 12, 2012 by Amy Jussel

Update April 7, 2015 Toy Joy! New offerings upending the toy industry to send healthier cues to kids: Lottie Dolls, GoGoSportsGirls, and now this new Kickstarter, Ember World adventure dolls, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Damaging Drek, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Misogyny & Racism, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: APA report early sexualization, Barbie, Be Bratz, big 6 media companies, Brattitude, Bratz, Bratzillaz, canted poses, Celebrity worship, coarse culture, cult of celebrity, Dr Jennifer Shewmaker, Etsy, girls self esteem, girls sports, girls-self-worth, Go Go Sports Girls, harm of early sexualization, illusion of choice, indie toys, Jodi Norgaard, lack of toy choice, Lego Friends, Little Bits, maker faire, Mattel, Mattel Monster High, MGA, MGA Entertainment, MGAE, Monster High, Monster High sexualization, Novi Stars, PigTail Pals, Pop-Culture, preteen-health, Reality TV, roominate, ScrapKins, sexist toys, sexualized dolls, Super Tool Lula, top 10 toy manufacturers, vamp tramp toys, who controls the media

Mattel’s Manipulative Monster High Marketing Machine: Unkind.

June 15, 2012 by Amy Jussel

June 15, 2012 Last year when I wrote about Mattel’s vampy campy Monster High dolls I purposely didn’t even name their brand, hoping it would quietly fizzle and bury itself in the outcry of parents … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Damaging Drek, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Misogyny & Racism, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: anti-bullying, Bailey Shoemaker Richards, big media, brandwashed, brandwashing, Bratitude, Brattitude, Bratz, bullying, business ethics, Buyology, CCFC, childrens rights, Clawdeen, corporate accountability, corporate responsibility, crap detection 101, critical thinking, damaging toys, Daughters, Does Monster High Teach kindness?, Dr Jennifer Shewmaker, Emily-Anne Rigal, girls-self-worth, Goodwashing, halo effect, Hasbro, in-school marketing, kids media influence, Kind Campaign, Mattel, mean ghoul, mean girls, media mindfulness, media-literacy, Miss Representation, Monster High Dolls, Monster High's New Low, neuroscience of shopping, objectification, parenting girls, Peggy Orenstein, PigtailPals, preteen-health, preteen-self-esteem, Pro-social product placement, product propaganda, Pussycat Dolls, Sexed Up Toys, Sexualization, sexualized childhood, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change, spot the spin, targeting tweens, toxic cues to kids, tweens, unhealthy products, WalMart, worst toys

Vamp Tramp Toys: A Monster Problem

March 16, 2011 by Amy Jussel 18 Comments

Mar. 16, 2011 Show and tell time on this Wordless Wednesday. Not going to give them the pleasure of naming names here to add to their search engine buzz, since research has shown that one of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Damaging Drek, Emerging trends & STEM, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity, Vapid Values Tagged With: Amy-Jussel, Bratitude, Brattitude, Bratz, CCFC, childrens rights, Clawdeen, Daughters, Girls are not for sale, girls-self-worth, Hasbro, hottie factor, kids media influence, Mattel, media-literacy, Monster High Dolls, objectification, parenting girls, preteen-health, Pussycat Dolls, Raising Girls Amidst Meat Marketing, Sesame Streetwalkers, Sexed Up Toys, Sexualization, sexualized childhood, So Sexy So Soon, SPARK, spark change, toxic cues to kids, tweens, Vogue Cadeaux

A Homeless American Girl Doll: Really, AG? REALLY?

September 25, 2009 by Amy Jussel 14 Comments

Sept. 25, 2009 Never quite thought homelessness would end up a ‘branding opportunity’ but alas, when Virgin Mobile lobbied Congress to declare November Youth Homeless Awareness month to devote time, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Mobile Media, Apps & Gaming, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image Tagged With: $95 doll, AG, All Things Girl, American Girl, Amy-Jussel, brandwashing, Carissa Phelps, cause marketing, children, CSR, dolls, downturn, economy, girls, Gwen, homeless, homeless doll, Lyn Mikel-Brown, Mattel, NAEH, Packaging-Boyhood, Packaging-Girlhood, ReGeneration, Sharon Lamb, shelters, Stand Up for Kids, stress, Virgin Mobile, Virgin Unite, youth, Youth homeless awareness, Youth Noise

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 … [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

Kids@Play: Elf Island Unlocks the Secret to Parent Approval

January 12, 2009 by Amy Jussel 8 Comments

I was AWOL at CES as my IBM went MIA. Translated? You're SOL (simply outta luck) if you're seeking a fresh thread on the big Consumer Electronics Show toys and tactics targeting kids at the Kids at … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Interactive Games, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Nutrition & Wellness, Product Placement, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Brain Based Business, brandwashing, Case for Make Believe, CES, CES Kids summit agenda, change begins with me, Consumer Electronics Show 2009, digital technology kids, digital-natives, Dizzywood, eco literacy, electronics, Elf-Island, fitness kids, focus, gaming, gaming for good, gizmos, Good Quest, have fun do good, high tech toys, Humanitarians, iphone filters for kids, Izzy-Neis, Kids, Kids at play summit, kids brains, Kids@Play, KidsAtPlay, Liz and Craig Kronenberger, Mattel, Mattel Mind Flex, MC Milker, memory games, Mirrored Gaming, new media, No-Child-Left-Inside, open ended play, Packaging-Girlhood, Pamela Poole, physical health kids, Planet Soccer, power of play, SafeEyes mobile, Sandbox Summit, social issue games, stick and cardboard, Strong Museum of Play, Susan Linn, Tech mamas, teens, teens in tech, theta waves, Toy Hall of Fame, value of unstructured play, video games, Virtual-Worlds, Wii Are Family, Wii Mii, youth, Zookazoo

Smart Girls At the Party.TV: Interview with SNL’s Amy Poehler

December 2, 2008 by Amy Jussel 16 Comments

With eight seasons of Saturday Night Live under her belt, I automatically thought SNL actress Amy Poehler's new digital TV series would be a spoof or a sketch by the screenshot alone! I mean, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Emerging trends & STEM, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Positive Picks, Pro-Social & Positive Picks, Product Placement, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth, Stereotypes & Diversity Tagged With: All Things Girl, Amy Poehler, Amy-Jussel, Axe, Barbie, Barbie Girls, Be Bratz, Bratz, Danica McKellar, digital TV, Dove, EcoMall, empowerment, Fem2.0, feminist, girl power, girls, Hollywood, identity, indie, Kids, Kiss My Math, Marianne Schnall, Math Doesn't Suck, Mattel, MGA, On Network, positive media, preteen, preteens, Saturday Night Live, self-esteem, self-worth, smart girls, Smart Girls at the Party, smart is the new cool, SNL, Unilever

Facelifts for Kiddie Characters: Rebranding ’80s Icons?

June 17, 2008 by Amy Jussel 15 Comments

Last week’s New York Times article on 21st century ‘facelifts’ for kiddie characters gave me the willies on a variety of fronts, despite the fact that I’ve personally ‘freshened’ many a brand in my … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Advertising, Branding & Consumerism, Consumerism, Growing up too soon, Marketing Shaping Youth, Media Literacy, Sexualization & Body Image, Shaping Youth Tagged With: Angelina-Ballerina, Animation, Anime, Barbie, Betty-Boop, Care-Bears, cartoons, Celluloid, Disney, Icons, Jessica-Rabbit, Kids, Loonatics, Manga, Mattel, Media, New-York-Times-, NYT, Peanuts, Pop-Culture, pop-culture-icons, Robyn-Silverman, Strawberry-Shortcake, Toys, Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit, Youth-Media

Amy Jussel Follow

Founder, https://t.co/pXG3JwXd6b Passionista, media/marketing analyst, youth advocate, former ad agency pro, author of media literacy kidlit series https://t.co/6RdcLWjQlL

Retweet on Twitter Amy Jussel Retweeted

Avatar Jay Rosen @jayrosen_nyu ·

26 Nov

Univision anchor Jorge Ramos says his network’s friendly interview with Trump, “put in doubt the independence of our news department.”

"We cannot... offer Trump an open microphone to broadcast his falsehoods and conspiracy theories."

[gift link]

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Retweet on Twitter Amy Jussel Retweeted

Avatar Sam Wineburg @samwineburg ·

16 Nov

Out today! A driver's manual for staying sane on the internet. @holden

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Avatar Amy Jussel @shapingyouth ·

16 Nov

As @jayrosen_nyu so clearly states, it's "not the odds, but the stakes"...Media and #journo can convey context without partisan pandering, clearly citing facts on autocracy objectively...@Sulliview is right, the public deserves to be informed. #NewsLiteracy #democracy

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Avatar Amy Jussel @shapingyouth ·

16 Nov

Dangerous 🆘📢to see this, given they've once AGAIN just enabled their platform to post lies claiming a rigged election when it was not! This is how democracies are overthrown with #misinformation Have media learned nothing? #Journo pay attention! WSJ: https://www.wsj.com/tech/meta-allows-ads-claiming-rigged-2020-election-on-facebook-instagram-309b678d?mod=e2tw

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