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Toy Ads: Recommended Videos

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BUY ME THAT: THE POWERFUL INFLUENCE OF TV TOY COMMERCIALS, HOW TV TOY COMMERCIALS INFLUENCE OUR KIDS

©2008 Frank Baker

      

Misleading toy commercials- website with streaming news story

The quintessential videos for use in the classroom are the classic HBO/Consumer Reports’ produced “Buy Me That” series of which there are 3 programs.
NOTE: The “Buy Me That” series is out of print. Contact your local library to determine if they have these available for checkout.


Buy Me That!

This original program in a 3-video series is a best-seller and multi-award winner! Lively host Jim Fyfe pulls back the curtain on the tricks advertisers use in TV commercials — editing “only the good parts,” talking too fast, adding props that aren’t included with the toy, animating toys to make them talk – and more! Each of the 10 segments stands alone or use the complete tape with parents, grandparents or teachers. (Copyright 1989) See lesson plan incorporating Typhoon 2 toy ad)


Buy Me That, Too!

Video 2 of this three-part series tackles more topics around advertising to kids, including product placement in movies and videos, how “kids’ clubs” work, cereal giveaways plus an excellent segment on sound effects and the amazing things sound studios use to make wrestling toys more exciting and dog-walking or galloping horses more realistic. Study guide includes instructions for kids to create their own commercial. (Copyright 1991)
Part one    Part two


Buy Me That, Three!

Buy Me That,3! is a collection of short segments focusing on the tricks and techniques used in food commercials. Includes a cola taste-test, what’s really in sports drinks plus a humorous vignette on the ingredients that go into Twinkies. Segment with a food stylist who ‘dresses’ hamburgers for the camera could be used with older teens, too. Excellent resource for integrating media literacy in health or nutrition classes — from kindergarten through middle school.  (Copyright 1993)
Review     See:  the food stylist video segment
Part one

There are certainly lots of other videotapes which feature children’s commercials, but none deals with the media literacy issues better than these three.

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