Corporate branding and toys

[HEyHEY]

I've got this little bear given to me by McDonalds when I did McHappy day. It's cute, but it has a little golden arches on it's wrist.
My four month old nephew is up here, and I'd like to give it to him, but I don' like the idea of giving something with a corporate brand on it to him... it really bugs me.
But at the same time, really, what harm can it do?
Anyone been in this dilema? Ideas on what to do?

[johnnie]

1. Damn! Now that IS a huge problem

Thank God I have never had to deal with that one and I only can hope that it turns out the best it can.
My thoughts are with you and your bear. Hang in there, I'm sure you will work it all out.

[HEyHEY]

3. Are you being sarcastic?

:P

[johnnie]

5. I thought it was dripping off the monitor..lol

Yeah, I was. I'm sorry dude. I know this isn't a laughing matter.

[HEyHEY]

12. Oh, oh that's it

You're so dead!

[tigereye]

11. it's obvious you don't spend much time in toy or other

children's stores, HH. ;)

Everything they can slap a logo on, they do. You can imagine how stunned I was when my son was a toddler and I discovered how icons/Disney images/ what have you, were placed in the Barnes and Noble children's dept., right on eye level, where the little ones/toddler height could see them. It's very creepy, I think.
And you know some developmental expert somewhere gets paid a ton of money to tell them where to put this stuff. :shrug:

I try to avoid buying clothes for my son that have corporate logos on them, but it is difficult.

[Pithlet]

2. How do his parents feel?

If it won't bother them, then I don't see the harm. I'm pretty strict about not letting my kids watch commercia TV and becoming overly brand concious, and even they get a happy meal toy every once in awhile. But, if it will bug you that much, it's okay to keep it or maybe donate it to a chilren's charity.

[HEyHEY]

4. Then I'll be poisoning some other kid!

I'm sure his mom won't care if I give it to him. Thing is, I'm thinking it'll be long gone before he's old enough to be affected.

[Pithlet]

9. Probably.

Little toys like that tend not to be permanent.

You could have a protest bear burning to cleanse yourself of the guilt :)

[Sequoia]

6. Don't blame the bear!

For some reason you're on my buddy list. You must've impressed me at one time. So there you are good buddy!

[HEyHEY]

13. Wow, thanks!

[rbnyc]

7. When my son was first born, we decided, no corporate logos, no...

...marketing at all on clothes or toys, etc., including animated characters that are associated with products.

Since then, my son has fallen in love with Elmo, so we have given him some Elmo and Sesame Street things, but I let him watch Sesame Street because I think it's a good show, and he selected his first Elmo toy himself.

What I wanted to avoid was him learning the characters from his clothes, bibs, etc., and then being predisposed to consume those items.

If someone gave my son something with McDonald's arches on it, I would not let him keep it. I definitely don't want him predisposed to fast food.

I do think it's a serious issue. So much marketing is directed at kids. Parents and other care-takers and concerned adults do need to get involved, help regulate and protect kids from marketing.

I'd put my son in front of a porno movie before I'd put him in front of a McDonald's commercial.

EDIT: very tiny, didn't change overall content.

[Felix Mala]

15. Elmo is just the gateway drug.

I hate how they've turned even the best toys into junkfood. You can't buy a bunch of Lincoln Logs anymore and build stuff. You have to buy "kits" that only make one thing. If you want to build something else, you have to get more kits.

It's the same with Legos.

I know it's School of Businees 101 to make the product so that the customer has to keep coming back, but why ruin the classics?

[Pithlet]

17. If you look hard enough, you can still find the classics.

Often they're more expensive because you only find them at smaller specialty shops or online, and not at places like Target.

[Pithlet]

16. It's insidious.

I'd never heard of Neopets before. I went to the mall and there were dozens of tables set up everywhere with games and product giveaways all geared towards Neopets. I just figured it was some new craze, like Pokimon. The characters are cute and obviously designed to appeal to primary school aged kids. Later I saw an article about Neopets, and they're basically a vehicle to target children for advertising. When kids go to the Neopets website to play games, they're geared around product placement of snack food items and other things not related to the game in anyway. When interviewed, many of the parents had no idea. Companies really need to be regulated from doing crap like that. I think it is highly unethical to aggressively market directly to children under 12, and should be restricted more. At the very least, it should be very clear that a toy or game is a promotion.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

8. As long as the kids know that it is advertising

and that advertising is just trying to get them to buy stuff they don't need, it is no problem.

Of course, that message has to be repeated all the time. If the parents don't do it, it won't work.

It has been hard to get our girls to understand this, but they now do.

Don't worry about it. It is just a stupid bear. You are not scarring him for life.

[redqueen]

18. I'm with you

Teach your kids critical thinking... don't protect them from the need for it.

[China_cat]

10. Find some wool roving in a compatible color

and a felting needle and felt over the logo. Not hard to do. (The needle doesn't stay in the toy.)

[skygazer]

14. It's so insanely prevalent

I read a study a few years ago where they mentioned that an incredible percentage of kids (can't remember what age but I think it was grade school age) could recognize Ronald McDonald but only a fraction could recognize George Washington or Jesus.

[Book Lover]

19. If it's just sewn on, get a seam ripper

and undo the stiching.