Picture yourself as a young child sitting down in front of the TV to watch some good old Saturday cartoons, when all of a sudden a commercial comes on and you have become infatuated by the the thought of actually owning a House Hippo.
We have all seen the commercial about the House Hippo that loves peanut butter on toast and sleeping in bedroom closets. For some of us it may even be said that we believed in the house hippo, thinking that one day we would be searching through our closets to find the hidden nest of a House Hippo family. Of course this is not true, the entire purpose of this commercial is to help children learn that not everything you see on TV is true. However, is the video actually effective?
Does this commercial that says it's "helping kids" really help them? Or is it just pushing them further into childish fantasies. I know someone who believed that the House Hippo was real for years because she would never watch the commercial all the way through.
Although this advertisement had some children ripping through their closets to find their very own House Hippo, it does have some good in it. It can help teach a child that even though something can look completely real on TV, does not always mean it is, and that they should take action when they think that something could be untrue.
Weather or not the House Hippo was doing good or just had a good intent, it still puts a smile on my face every time I watch it.
You can watch the full House Hippo video below:
Great job on your blog and using widgets. I can really see your personality here. In the end do you think the House Hippo did what Concerned Children Advertisers wanted it to do?
ReplyDeleteThe House Hippo makes me smile too.
ReplyDeleteHelping young children to see that something that is a complete fantasy can look very real is important, but you make a good point that some will only see the beginning and might miss the entire point of the commercial.
When I think back on it, I wonder if the commercial was also aimed at adults - to make the point to us that we have to help kids learn about "what is real"?
Good luck with your blog!