USA documentary
1992
color 108 min.
CLV: $29.95 - taking pre-orders now
1 disc, catalog # V1065L
If the main reason you got involved with home video was to avoid
commercial interruptions, the whole idea of watching a laserdisc of
nothing but commercials may seem a trifle odd. But every generation
has its own perculiar window onto the formation of their psyche, and
no matter what your age or background, this fascinating compilation of
vintage television ads from the collection of Ira Gallen will clue you
into motivational subtexts that affect us all. More than drop drills
and the Pledge of Allegiance, these are what sold the baby-boom
generation on conquering the world.
If you grew up in the '50s and '60s, you're likely to find your
emotional response to these blatant plugs to be surprisingly
strong. These unintentionally but remarkably thought-provoking ads
were probably your first contact with the hyonotic world of
consumerism, relentlessly shaping your desires in various ways. They
created a generation of toy worshipers who were oblivious to the
subconscious message, for instance, that boys fight ("Shoot rapid-fire
bullets!) and girls nurture ("When I grow up, I want to be a
mommy.").
Of course, equality of the sexes was far removed from the thoughts of
toymakers and consumers at the time. Cold War anxiety shaded
everything, and many editorials attacked toys that promoted aggression
(The New York Times Magazine printed an article in 1965 comparing toy
stores to the arsenal at Da Nang Airbase). But psychologists insisted
it was "healthy for girls to play dress-up, cook pretend meals, and
care for doll children." Toymakers purveyed a counterfeit happiness to
kids already pampered and blinkered into a culturally antiseptic era,
and the method was to nudge the tykes into restrictive role-playing
that normally lasted a lifetime. The low-budget, low-brow sales tools
that did the job--based on period mass-market strategies that now seem
obvious--created an inescapable juvenile culture.
We've lived with crass commercialism so long that it's hard to imagine
there was a time when toys were not sold in a perpetual ad blitz, and
when the Toys R Us empire didn't dot the land. But before the '50s,
toys were considered merely Christmas fare and were available almost
exclusively in department stores. However, as post-war Americans got
more prosperous, they found more leisure time--and more incentive to
simply play.
In a breakthrough marketing scheme, many of these toys were sold at
food markets only. In the '50s, Mattel became the first toy
manufacturer to advertise nationally year round, quickly followed by
Hasbro and Whammo. The whole concept of a "toy fad" was born, and the
right commercial--projecting the right fantasy or just plain kiddy
cool--could make any toymaker an instant millionaire.
In the '60s, plastics took over the toy world and everything changed
for the cheaper. There were huge battery-operated toys available to
any kid who was willing to whine long enough and whose parents had ten
bucks to blow. Barbie proved that little girls would play with dolls
that weren't babies, and G.I. Joe proved that boys would play with
dolls. In 1963, Life Magazine devoted three whole pages to Barbie's
wardrobe, and Barbie was getting 500 letters a week. Over nine million
parents not only had to clothe their children, but their children's
Barbie dolls.
A consumer organization called Action for Children's Television (ACT)
has been in a constant battle with the Toy Manufacturers of America
(TMA) to regulate the methods used to sell products to children. Many
guidelines have been established since the '60s, so you're not likely
to see the techniques featured here ever again. Toys can't be
"overglamorized," and children playing with a toy must not be shown as
"socially superior" to other children. It's an interesting bias,
since it doesn't apply to other children's products, like breakfast
cereals.
The technology has changed, too. Commercials are now so high-tech, the
ones on this disc look like museum pieces. But boys still obliterate
missiles, not to mention a few Middle Eastern countries, in a million
different video games. And girls still aspire to a "Dream Date," only
now they use a "Dream Phone."
If the whole idea of watching toy commercials feels too retro,
consider this: if you're not a toy nut, what are you doing with a
laserdisc player.
--Michael Dare
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