Buy Me That: The Powerful Influence of TV Toy Commercials, How TV Toy Commercials Influence Our Kids
©2008 Frank Baker
Frank Baker Interviewed About Toy Ads For The Holidays
LESSON PLAN ON TOY ADS
Watch this classic segment from the series “Buy Me That” in which young people test a toy (Typhoon 2-left) seen in a popular commercial
Click on the image (left) to go to the lesson plan that incorporates this classic segment
This site is designed to be both a lesson plan/activity, and at the same time, a valuable resource for educators and parents who want their kids to become media literate when it comes to television and advertising.
I first conducted this “activity” for teachers in Orlando, Florida while employed by the Orange County Public School system, where as a media educator I was interested in providing teachers with professional development opportunities. Typically, I would conduct this workshop in late October or early November, because this is the time of year when toy commercials become increasingly more prevalent. But this activity can be done anytime and with any toy commercial.
Since this activity was first created, the explosion in children’s media has created numerous new television and cable networks on which toy commercials can be found (e.g. The Disney Channel, Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, just to name a few). Fair use guidelines of the copyright law allow you to record commercials and use them in the classroom for instruction.
Use the Table of Contents (left) to navigate through the resources here.
Let me know what you think of this resource: My email is fbaker1346@aol.com
I’m also available to come to your school/conference and conduct this workshop with your students.
Teaching Standards Correlation: National Standards McRel Standards
Recommended Readings:
- NEW: Seeing Through Toy Commercials (Nov 2020)
- Selling Gender: Exploiting Gender Stereotypes for Profit
- Use Toy Ads To Teach Media Literacy Skills
- Consumer Watchdog Releases List of Unsafe Holiday Toys
- Consumer Product Safety Commission Toy Website
- More Kids Watching Toy TV Ads
- Remix toy commercials
- Toys & The 3rd Grade Consumer
- Advertising & Your Child
- Gendered Language in Toy Commercials
- Stereotypical and Counter-stereotypical ads for kids’ stuff
- CARU cites Kick N Go
- Parents urge toymakers to stop marketing to kids
- CCFC Wants FCC To Ban Product Placement In Kids Shows, Limit In Primetime
- CARU Checks Film Ad Placements
- Fort Mill students receive media literacy/toy ad lessons
- Iconic toys from the ’80s and earlier get 21st-century makeovers
- CARU Cites Toy Ad Maker (click the story and watch the ad in question)
- Little Hotties (Competition for Barbie)
- I Want That! critical thinking/viewing of holiday toy ads
- The Nag Season: Ads seek kids’ grip on family purses
- Holiday Toy Ad Tactics
- Toymaker Mega Pitches to Parents
- 2007-2008 Toy Action Guide (Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children’s Entertainment TRUCE)
- Toy ad horror stories
Video for Cinderella’s Magical Taking Vanity |
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