Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Mommy, There's No More 'Mercials For Nuggets! I Feel Empty In My Tummy And My Soul, Mommy

Having observed the "McDonald's-As-Crack-For-Youngsters" phenomenon with the spawn of my friends, I find this article interesting. Apparently some of the largest food companies are going to restrict advertising aimed at children under 12. Including those nugget-dealers McDonald's.

Of course parents should be encouraging their sugar-addled young to get out from under the gaze of the electronic babysitter (or the Flat Screen Love Substitute, as it's known in some households) and go outside. There are billboards I see every day that try and encourage parents to turn off the television, or to serve vegetables at dinner. What has happened where we feel like we have to use billboards to instruct people that Ho Ho's and Red Vines are not a nutritious dinner? I think once we've gotten to that point as a society, it may be that we've peaked on the ride and it's time to just throw up your arms and scream as it rockets downward.

I, of course, was above all that advertising to the under 12 set when I was included in that group. Pay no mind to the overflowing boxes of battered, very un-mint-in-box Transformers and G.I. Joe figures in my parents' attic.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

my parents got rid of their tv when I was three months old, and they never looked back. I suggested this to my husband but he was less than thrilled by the thought of no tv. but at least we only have one in our house. He bought it in 1995 with a tax refund, and it's still going strong.
Maybe you can dig out your transformers and sell them at a transformer stand on the sidewalk. Throw in some free lemonade and people won't even notice that the arms were shot off with a bb gun in 1983.

AllisonF said...

I remember when Happy Meals were invented. I must've been about 6. Needless to say, they were AWESOME. AWESOME.

Basil Bizarro said...

Kids love them some Happy Meals. And I don't think they're too keen on the apples and milk option.

Frugal Babe - it was mostly dog manglings in our household. Many a head was found out in the yard - in a way that was, how can I put this, irretrievable.