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Tell Walmart: Nagging is Not a Family Value
At Wal-Mart's new website,
http://toyland.walmart.com/, children review a parade of
toys while two animated elves encourage and reward them for
adding items to a wish list. "If you show us what you want on
your wish list, we'll blast it off to your parents," say the
elves. "We'll help plead your case."
Wal-Mart is ruthlessly coming between parents and children and
actively encouraging kids to nag for their holiday gifts. Many
of the products in Toyland - such as the Bratz Fashion
Makeover (pictured) - may be antithetical to parents' values.
Others, like the Fisher Price Power Wheels Cadillac Escalade
($279), cost more than many parents can afford. Yet children
do not need a parent's permission to enter Toyland, there is
no age requirement to use the site, and kids are encouraged to
submit their parents' email address in order to send their
wish list.
Families have a hard enough time navigating holiday
commercialism without the world's largest retailer bypassing
parents entirely and urging children to nag.
>Please tell Wal-Mart to close the doors to Toyland.
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Tell Running Press to Remove all Product Placement from
Cathy's Book
Until now, books have been a refuge from the advertising
that is ubiquitous in children's lives. But that's about to
change. In an unprecedented commercial intrusion, a
soon-to-be published young adult book will include product
placement. Cathy's Book: If Found Call (650) 266-8233
(Running Press) will incorporate Cover All makeup into its
plot for promotional purposes.
The last thing young girls need is a cosmetics ad disguised
as a novel. If we let this go unchallenged, books--like
television, movies and videogames--will become major venues for
marketing to children. And the quality of children's literature
will be compromised.
>Please urge Running Press to remove all product placement from
Cathy's Book.
