Stroll through through any Sears or Target-type story today and you’ll be bombarded by a certain fictional soldier.
“G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra” hits theaters this weekend – sans critical screenings – and the folks behind the movie are doing their best to sell “Joe”-related goodies from toys to outerwear.
Nothin’ wrong with that.
But “G.I. Joe” is rated PG:13, meaning it’s not exactly a safe bet for the kiddies, and some of the “Joe” merchandise is clearly targeting youngsters.
Who else would buy “G.I. Joe” action figures and colorful T-shirts fitted for pre-teens?
Once again Hollywood wants it both ways – zapping audiences with material unsuitable to some children but eager to sell trinkets to said children at the same time.
UPDATE: Movie Mom checks in with action being conducted by The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood.
(Photo: Two of the deadliest members of the COBRA organization are Ninja master Storm Shadow (Byung-hun Lee, left) and The Baroness (Sienna Miller, right) in “G.I. JOE: The Rise of Cobra.” Photo Credit: Frank Masi)
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
The real crime of this film is the stripping away of “American” from G.I.Joe and turning it into some multinational fighting force. Just another example of the Superman b.s., “he fights for truth, justice….and that other stuff.”
In regards to the marketing and kids, in my youth the “real” G.I. Joe, was larger than Barbie, not some ridiculous 2″ “action figure”. He wasn’t part of a super soldier organization fighting cartoon villians designed as to not offend anyone or really hurt anyone.
Joe was just a soldier, with real world weaponry,rifles, machine guns,hand guns. He had a jeep and you could buy an endless supply of equipment, real rubber scuba suits, bomb disposal gear, including the bombs. Things that would horrify the wusses of today.
The PG13 Josephine cartoon coming out doesn’t concern me a bit when it comes to marketing to children. That ship sailed about 30 years ago and I have my own kiddie Jaws t-shirt somewhere in a trunk in the basement to prove it.
No surprise, here. Think Transformers 2: crude sex jokes, pot jokes, foul language, toys aimed at pre-schoolers.
I don’t wanna be a prude … and I have no problem with mature content, but geez, if you’re gonna sell kiddie gear, make sure the film in question is kiddie appropriate.
And yes, stripping the “American hero” out of GI Joe takes a special layer of chutzpah on Hollywood’s part.
I was just discussing something similar with Mrs. FNWayne today. Two of her friends at work piled their kids into an SUV and took off for “Land of the Lost” at the cheapo theater. They lasted a few minutes before a cup with breasts and the phrase “tap that ***” chased them out of the movie. I believe the flick was rated PG-13, but Land of the Lost was decidedly a children’s show.
Instances like this remind me of Jack Valenti’ excoriating anyone who dared question Hollywood’s control over the ratings system.