Sold Separately: Children and Parents in Consumer Culture (Communications, Media, and Culture)

"A radical approach to children's TV. . . . Seiter argues cogently that watching Saturday cartoons isn't a passive activity but a tool by which even the very young decode and learn about their culture, and develop creative imagination as well. Bolstered by social, political, developmental, and media research, Seiter ties middle-class aversion to children's TV and mass-market toys to an association with the 'uncontrollable consumerism'––and hence supposed moral failure––of working class members, women, and 'increasingly, children.' . . . Positive guidance for parents uncertain of the role of TV and TV toys in their children's lives."––Kirkus Reviews

"Sold Separately is about television and toys, and the various roles that they play in the lives of children and parents. In particular, Seiter examines toy advertising, both in print media and on television; TV commercials; toy-based video for girls, with an in-depth look at "My Little Pony"; action TV for boys, using "Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters" as her case study; and the stores where toys are sold, both Toys "R" Us and the more upscale shops . . . contains many provocative observations."––Women's Review of Books

"Ellen Seiter has a holiday message for yuppie parents who feel guilty shopping at Toys "R" Us. The mass-produced toys that dominate the chain's shelves need not be the enemy of every right-thinking parent. "Ghostbuster" figurines and "My Little Pony" can share the toy chest with those sensible wooden blocks."––Chronicle of Higher Education

"Emphasizing problems of socioeconomic class, gender, and race stereotyping, this study acknowledges the usual parental complaints about toys like Barbie and G.I. Joe, but insists that they do play an important role in children's culture, especially for working class families. A thought-provoking analysis."––Wilson Library Journal

"In this thought provoking study, Seiter reasonably urges parents and others to put aside their own tastes and to understand that children's consumer culture promotes solidarity and sociability among youngsters."––Publishers Weekly

"An important book for those desiring an overview of the toy industry's impact on consumer culture . . . [it] presents a fair and well-balanced view of the industry."––Kathleen M. Carson, associate editor, Playthings

"A refreshing, thoughtful, and insightful investigation of an enormously important subject––consumer culture for kids. . . . I can't recommend it highly enough."––Janice Radway, Duke University, author of Reading the Romance

Here's a radical approach to children's TV--from an academic who doesn't see it as the root of violence, hedonism, and low reading scores. Seiter (Telecommunications/Indiana University) has good credentials, not least of which is that she's the mother of two young children and wages her own battles over TV and requests for the advertised toy du jour. Here, however, she argues cogently that watching Saturday cartoons isn't a passive activity but a tool by which even the very young decode and learn about their culture, and develop creative imagination as well (a conclusion at odds with Stephen Kline's Out of the Garden--reviewed above). Bolstered by social, political, developmental, and media research, Seiter ties middle-class aversion to children's TV and mass-market toys to an association with the ``uncontrollable consumerism''--and hence supposed moral failure--of working-class members, women, and ``increasingly, children.'' In fact, though, the ``alternative'' market of nonsexist, nonviolent educational toys is equally as commercial and manipulative, exploiting theories of child development that set appropriate toys for each stage. Greater than the danger of breeding insatiable consumers, Seiter says, is the sexist and racist view of the world that children's TV presents. With few exceptions, the shows are dominated by action-oriented males, usually white. The author offers an interesting, if overly detailed, critique of the plots of boy-oriented shows like the cartoon version of Ghostbusters, which emphasize destroying the villain, and compares them to girl-oriented shows like My Little Pony, which stress reforming the villain. No apologia, but some positive guidance for parents uncertain of the role of TV and TV toys in their children's lives--and some encouragement to consider deep-seated changes in the culture that TV portrays. (Sixty-three illustrations, mostly of print ads and TV scenes, that hammer the message home) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Many parents (as well as teachers and child development experts) dismiss children's culture--mass-marketed toys, commercials and cartoons--as mindless, sexist and hedonistic. And so, many curtail or forbid TV-watching (except for PBS and educational videos) or refuse to buy mass-marketed toys. But, warns Seiter ( Remote Control: Television, Audiences, and Cultural Power ), this condemnation may do kids a disservice, since their mass culture is a sort of language that allows them to communicate with their peers. Also, she argues, nixing it can place a burden on busy caregivers, who would otherwise rely on TV and toys to occupy and distract children some of the time; and for kids from poor families who are not able to afford upscale toys, videos or cable TV, mass-marketed toys and entertainment may be the only show in town. Seiter discusses the many genres of children's TV and toys, analyzing the My Little Pony and Ghostbusters cartoon series (marketed to girls and boys, respectively) and taking a detailed look at the giant chain store Toys R Us (which strictly segregates girls' and boys' toys). In her thought-provoking study, she reasonably urges parents and others to put aside their own tastes and to understand that children's consumer culture promotes solidarity and sociability among youngsters. Photos.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.