2000's-2010's

TV Shows:

Today, the television shows that are on Nickalodeon are far more racy than they used to be. There are almost no cartoons left for kids that are not babies. The clothing that the people on shows such as Victorious are things that high school kids should wear, but the kids who watch these shows are ten years old and younger. The content that is in the show is directly related to the lives of high school kids and is things that the younger people would not understand. They wear high heels and short skirts, have serious relationships that involve kissing most of the time. It is just not appropriate for the kids it is marketed towards. It makes the kids want to grow up faster.

Toys:

Another thing that sends bad images to young girls is Bratz dolls. The name itself shows that it is okay for girls to be brats and get what they want. The clothes that they wear are extremely revealing, they have fully developed and skinny bodies, and they wear an insane amount of makeup for a children's dolls. Barbies were a stretch with some of their outfits, but Bratz take it to a whole new level. They have a permanent "pout" on their faces and are a horrible influence on girls who are at the age of playing with dolls.

Commercials:

These Hulk Hands are a good example of the kinds of toys that are marketed to boys. It is playing off of the Marvel character the Hulk and the increasing gravitation and liking for violence. The commercial is very loud and aggressive which is something that, in this time, is appealing to boys. It is different from past decade commercials because of the violence that is so blatantly promoted. Another thing it shows is that parents may not think about the repercussions that a toy like this could have with a child and their likelihood of becoming violent in the future.

1980's-1990's

Music Videos:

This video is the perfect example of the loss of innocence in children's media. Britney Spears was a pop icon and a role model for young girls. The images that she sends young girls is provocative and sexual, which is something previous time periods steered clear from. She is doing promiscuous dance moves and with every outfit in the video has on a belly shirt. This sends young girls the message that to be successful and popular you have to look like this. It also sends young boys a message that girls are supposed to be skinny and have loose morals.

Cartoon:

Rugrats is part of the beautiful thing that was 90's cartoons. It centered around babies and showed more real life characters. Everything did not always turn out okay for everybody and that was always fine because that's how life is. It was a show about young kids, for young kids which made it more relatible for the kids watching. It also showed the importance of good relationships between families. It was not quite like the shows from previous time periods with straight forward lessons for children but it also was not as inappropriate as a lot of the other media that was beginning to come out for young kids.

Journalism:

This article shows the paranoia that parents were beginning to have towards what their children were watching. The show was starting to be more about who it could sell itself to than what was actually being put on the screen for kids to watch. It had no educational purposes, the characters did not even speak English, and there was no stimulus for children. There was a lot of different controversies within the show because of parents finding out the triangle that Tinky Winky had on his head meant he was gay, there was translated gibberish that claimed Po said "faggot" during the show.

1960's-1970's

Commercial:

The slinky is another example of the innocence of children in past decades. The commercial is straight to the point and pure. It features a catchy jingle and kids actually playing with the toy. It again is an example of how children used to be seen as precious and innocent and that they were easily entertained due to their large imaginations. The product only cost about one dollar, where now a days there are video games that are at least thirty dollars.

Toy:

This toy is a perfect example of how the women of this time period were typified into stereotypes of housewife. This was a toy that was primarily marketed to little girls and its only function to bake things like little miniature cakes and cookies. It is also an example that we wanted to mold our little girls to fit into what they were supposed to be as adults.

Television Show: 

Sesame Street is a wholesome show that teaches children valuable lessons. It is another example of children's innocence and their imaginative abilities to watch television shows that have characters. It is an educational show that teaches things that link to their school. The show gives the children characters that they can trust and they can turn to them for a friend. The show makes lots of different products so the children can take the characters home and have a closer bond with them.

1940's-1950's

Book: 

This book featured a collection of nursery rhymes that any child would recognize. With stories such as Humpty Dumpty, Little Miss Muffet, and Boy Blue, Mother Goose's stories were simple rhymes with easy words and underlying themes to teach children stories. From these stories, songs and shows were created to bring the characters to life and make them more real. It represents children's media in this time period through its innocence and pure nature.

Print Advertisement:

This advertisement is very simple and to the point. There are no hidden messages other than its focus on adults. A magic 8 ball is something that children would play with even though it is two adults on the ad. There is no "fluff" added to the ad and it is just showing what the product is. They do not use any other kinds of tactics to lure people in. This advertisement represents the time because the people look like "the Jones" and shows the sophistication of the lifestyle. It is interesting how a child's toy is marketed to adults.

 

 

Song:

This song is another example of the innocence of this time period. Shirley Temple was a huge icon for children in this time period and she was a good role model for them. There was never any bad language or subliminal messages in any of her productions and she was a pure and sweet little girl.