Mattel – Page 2

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 mega-marketer's favorite ploys is now baiting parents for "outrage" ...(yes, there are even strategic microsites like "your mom hates this" to serve as catnip for older kids, sigh, … [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, attention and resources to the issue I thought it was pretty cool. I met a couple of people from Virgin Mobile’s Re-Generation campaign at the cause-marketing lunch table at the … [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 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

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 Play summit, until I can reconvene with colleagues or TechMamas that were present to interview them and/or pitch a guest editorial. I tried, I really tried to get there. The … [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, c'mon, as a name generation branding gal, somehow seeing Smart Girls + Party + Barbie in one princess-pop logo was almost too much to bear. My bad... Amy Poelher's intent is to … [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