Those PSA episodes: It Hits Different When You're Little

PSA 

             The Littles was an animated series on ABC produced by DIC that ran from 1983-1985. It's about a boy named Henry Bigg who knows little human-ish creatures called The Littles. It was based off books.  One day I will probably do a post about the series, but this time I'm going into an episode that was because, it was the 1980's, about drugs. (Don't do 'em).

      Our Show: The Littles

What is it trying to tell the audience? : The Affects of Drugs/ Prescription Drug abuse/ Addiction 

            The episode we are looking at this time is "Prescription for Disaster" which aired on November 12, 1983.  When the Littles would re-air on other channels like Toon Disney, this episode was skipped, because it was too powerful. (That's our reason at least)  It was the first season of the show.  Explaining the show a little, there are these little humanoid creatures that try to keep hiding from the humans, like us, and only one human they allow to interact with them, that's Henry.  Also for this episode, Henry won't be in it. (Things are going great)  The main Little characters are  a boy named Tom, and his sister Lucy, their grandpa named Grandpa, and older cousin Dinky. This episode focuses more on them having a story and no Henry, but there will be some human characters, coming up. 

         Grandpa, Dinky, Tom, and Lucy are going to some cousins' house for a get together supper.  That's when the one cousin, Mimi, decides to show her room and pet mouse, which is funny because there was an episode before the one before this one, that had them running from rats. Anyway, they hear a noise and  Mimi  tells them the important part of this plot:  There's a girl named Angela and her mother named Emily, both humans.  They look sad because of the drugs.  I'm ripping that line from the episode, Mimi says it because of the drugs. Episode is not hiding it , at least.  

I like Pills with my coffee grrrr!/ Copyright Wildbrain

        Emily was taking medication for something unexplained  for months now and it seems to gotten to the point where it now causes her to be withdrawn, lacking of energy, ignoring Angela except when she gets all angry and yells at Angela.  Emily then goes and gets more of her pills. There's also a subplot of Dinky eating all these pies like a madman which leads into what will be the other part of our drug themed episode here.  Emily gets her pills and drops them on the floor, one of them falls down the vent, breaks open the powder hitting one of the pies, and yes that means Dinky ends up accidently getting some drugs.  (Remember kids, always check your pie for drug powder before eating them)

             This causes Dinky to hallucinate and freak out. Since he's a Little and about a few inches high the drug takes quick effect.  Grandpa figures out that he's on drugs and follows behind Dinky when he tries to run away from the danger he's thinking is around.  

The drugs have caused him to see your soul/ Copyright Wildbrain

            Interestingly, and there will be more on this later,  the episode having a message isn't being used to go out of its normal structure of what one would expect for an episode of this show.  Grandpa usually ends up being the character who has to wrangle Dinky for an assortment of reasons. For the other part, Tom and Lucy do take interest in human matters and sometimes have the instinct to help.  

            Going back to Angela trying to tell her mother she's worried about her but the mom says she's fine before she passes out on the bed. (That's fine) Angela decides she should take some of the pills too and maybe that'd help.  Lucy, Mimi, and Tom decide to help stop her before she makes the very bad decision.   

            Dinky's plot gets harrowing because he thinks Grandpa is a monster and they end up a baked goods factory and all this happening could have gotten either one of them or both of them killed. The Little kids try to hide the pill jar but it spills and Angela is coming. Lucy ends up trapped inside the jar.  Again, still staying in the hallmark of the show where characters have to be rescued.   

            Grandpa is able to get Dinky to safety and out of his drug filled rampage.  Now the two of them are there to help the others with  getting Lucy back.  I'm also glad Angela is being slow with the drugs showing her worry about even doing the act.  The pet mouse is used as a distraction so the Littles can get Lucy, then they try to hide the pills, but they have to run away from Angela before she finds them.

  

         They still have to help her before she takes the pills so they have a plan B. Yes, being found out is still a risk worse than stopping a girl from taking dangerous pills. Anyway, they dress up as pill bottles and pills to get to the mother whom they wake up and make her think she's in a drug induced nightmare.  Emily staggers to the bathroom thinking that another pill would help stop her from being pill induced. (That's not the smartest plan) The Littles warn her that Angela is danger. She washes her face and notices that they're gone and that her pills are missing. She runs to her daughter's room and stops the girl from taking them. 

            Emily realizes that's not been doing the best recently and apologizes to her daughter. Angela asks her why doesn't she stop taking them, the mom throws them away and she promises that she'll stop, but it will take some work she says and asks if Angela will help her.  Then the episode ends with a goofy Dinky on the mouse thing. 

            

                  Does this episode work as a PSA?    What I found interesting about this episode is how not ham-fisted it was. Like I've seen and written about media that gets it's message out and tries really hard to  make it feel forced.  Here, it's simple yet effective in it's own way. It also still keeps into what the show normally does. To answer the question, yeah, I think so. It's interestingly toned down for an 80's episode about drugs, while still showing some effect on how it hurts people and those around them.  The pills getting to Dinky  is also a good way to show not being careful , even if not addicted, with medication can end up harming someone else, if they end up taking it or a young kid being unaware eats it.  The episode also takes the approach of focusing on legal prescribed drug abuse instead of random illegal drugs, that is a topic that should be brought up and showed how it can become addicting and a type of crutch.  It was also  a good touch to show the mom saying she's going to work to get over her problem and ask for help instead of being like "I'm better now."  It works as a resolution to a self contained episode of a mostly self contained show.  

            That's it for now,  tune in next time when we wonder 

Those PSA episodes: Punky Brewster says Just Say No

PSA 

           I've not done a "Those PSA episodes" segment in some time, wow. I guess this is time to do one and so we head to the 1980's NBC sitcom "Punky Brewster". For the new, "Those PSA Episodes" is a segment where I talk about episodes of shows that are trying to be like public service announcements or are trying to get a message across.  

      Our Show: Punky Brewster 

      What is it trying to tell the audience? : Don't do Drugs/ Don't fall into peer pressure with drugs 

  

            

        This episode comes from season 2 it's called Just Say No  from the year 1985.  The title is going off the famous 1980's to 1990's campaign of the same name.  This was from the War on Drugs years that was taking an approach from Nancy Reagan to tell kids "Hey kids, just say no to drugs"  It spawned something like Just Say No clubs where kids would be making pacts not to do drugs and say no when someone offered them drugs. 

       This, of course, being the 1980's meant that they also would go to television for their message. (read: this post isn't going to be about the politics of drugs or if policies worked or not or anything, because no, we are just here to look at media and that's what we'll do.) NBC (see National Broadcasting) series "Diff'rent Strokes" had Nancy Reagan appear to spread her "Just Say No Message".  

      Now our episode directly.  The first half the episode is Punky and her friend Cherie faffing around and meeting these girls who call themselves "The Chicklets". They are dressed like how the 2010's thinks the 80's looks.   The girls like that Punky and Cherie have a nice tree house (it is nice) and think to invite them to join the club...and also use the tree house.  These being older girls impresses Punky and Cherie and they want to join.  There's even a moment where the younger girls dress like the older ones and make their parental figures  freak out.  Maybe setting up these two won't be of help for the rest of the episode, but thankfully the plot says they have to let the younger girls hang out with the older ones. 

They are a gang , it's a gang episode / Copyright NBC 

  

      We don't to get to anything major yet, for entire first half until the last minute. It's kind of easing you into the rest of the episode by making you think this is going to be some silly fun about joining a club with older girls and maybe wearing funny outfits and stuff. Well it's NOT!

    Also there's a weird Michael J Fox joke, were young girls concerned about him not being short in the 80's?  (80's people send me your answers!)  Anyway, uh oh commercial break is coming up what are we going to do to make sure you are staying on and not flipping to ABC to watch whatever the heck ABC was airing?  The one girl, Emily, pours open a container of drugs!  What drugs? All the drugs! 

Eww, I'm not touching that... those are on the ground copyright NBC 

         

          More after the jump 

PSAs: Stay away from Trains 2 (Just in case the first time didn't work)

PSAs  Joshuaonline UK

  Previously, we looked at  British public information film that told people not to play around trains, by having kids  play around trains and get injured and killed in fun and interesting ways! (Read that here)  Later, we did a post about a Pif telling kids not to play on farms by killing them off in fun and intersting ways! We did this post 4 years after the train post  so weee. (Read that Here)  Anyway here we are with another British 70's  public information film about trains being the #1 enemy to children. 

      This one is called "Robbie" . "Robbie" came out in 1979 , and it has like 3 different versions, then they did it again in 1986 , where they just switched the host of the film.  We're going with a version from 1979 and we aren't that picky, as long as the quality is good. 

  This is one is hosted by Peter Purves, who was on "Doctor Who".  Peter tells us that 18,000 trains use the railway system and that he thinks trains are comfy. That this is story about a boy named Robbie.  Ahh the music is happy, what could wrong?   He tells us that Robbie got struck in tree once, then got lost in town trying to help a dog, he fell in a pond,  he loves football, and  trains. (uh oh)   He is eight-years-old and they never showed him "The Finishing Line". 

  

       The music is still happy and we learn that trains are great, are we sure this is about train safety and not go buy a train?   This could be a film about the how deadly soccer can be right?   They are really giving us a lot of soccer, but I think they are driving a point.  That would be last time he'd ever played soccer. Peter says that like someone telling you the time.   

He will never wear those shorts again

 

     Robbie's big brother named Burt says hey there's whole in the fence so they can cross the rail road that way. (uhh logic?) Robbie says you can't do that, and the people who did that were stupid because drunk people wanted to get an easier access to the pub. (The moral of the story is alcohol is bad)    His older sister Sally  also thinks there's a universal rule of holes cut inside means cross.

  

It's British law, there's a hole, you are free to go through it.

   

    Thanks to Robbie being convinced by being called a chicken (kids are dumb)  and they all cross the tracks. Meanwhile, a train minding its business  is minding its business. A kid falls down and Robbie goes back to help him.  The music is getting tense I'm scared.  Robbie's shoes get stuck and and instead of leaving them he tries harder and the train does something, it cuts a way after we hear Sally's screams. 

      

Murderer! Oh well never hmmm

         Next we see the Mom doing mom stuff, minding her business, when the cops and her eldest son show up and tell her that her son has been hurt, he's alive, but not well.  The British cops put the tea on for the mom.  Robbie's mother finds out he lost both feed and broke some bones. Meanwhile, Sally lost the ability to speak and  possibly her sanity.  (dang)  

She'll never even touch a fence again

            The film ends with stuff to tell its viewers about how deadly trains can be  and how to be safe.  Then a scene of him being placed in a wheel chair. 

I'll run for congress instead, wait I'm British, I'll run for British congress, shut up I was run over or electrocuted by a train!

 

 In 1986, they redid the narration switching out Purves  with Keith Chegwin, because kids might know him better from Saturday Morning British TV, versus guy from episodes of Doctor Who they probably didn't rerun anymore.   

Great, our narrator regenerated 

       This one was liked more than "The Finishing Line" for school teachers and others who would be showing these things because TFL was either too shocking or maybe was kind of silly.  There are more than one version of for different safety measures on the train. I just wrote about version 1, which is about non electrified train lines but you know what? Let's do another version.

       Most of this one is the same exact thing happening, minus one change: at the part where they are not wanting to cross the rail lines, Burt throws Robbie's soccer shoes and they land on an electrical line. (do the math , it's shocking!)   Burt tells him that it's dangerous, Robbie says only the wires are dangerous  not the other stuff.  Robbie decides he wants to get his boots, but  the others tell him no, but he uses a metal pipe and well... math.  

This film is shocking 

     So it cuts back to the part where the mother meets the cops and the older brother there.  This time Robbie also isn't dead (he's hard to kill) but he was electrocuted. It's actually weird how the police lines and mother's lines are the same , like they had to make these lines abstract to fit the three scenarios, the only part they put some different lines and in are the parts that different scenarios happening.

        They also use narration to fill in the gap for what happened. So yes Robbie was electrocuted by the high voltage but some how lived so yay?  Sally is still in the hospital for she was shocked a different way.  Not sure how they got his soccer boots off this time, though.  

       

            Then they reuse the same thing where you should stay safe on the rails ways because trains are fast and might not see you on the rails, they really just changed one part but kept everything else the same it's kind of odd. Robbie is still in a wheel chair and his face being half burned makes more sense now than the first time. (what?) 

          There is a third version where Robbie gets electrocuted by the rails.   I  haven't found that one, but I'm sure they repeated themselves besides that one part.  The main idea is don't do anything near the train rails or you will never play soccer again. (Insert other stuff you like to do here)   

       It doesn't have that shock or almost unintentional goofiness that happened with "The Finishing Line" but it does do a service of telling kids to stay away from trains, unless you are riding one. It's just not as fun to write about about because it's not weird and has a low kill count. (what?) 

         That's it for now, stay tuned next time, when we talk to people about why trains scare them.  

PSAs: Farms are dangerous stay away!

PSA  Joshuaonline Uk 

           Last time we went through a long public information film, we saw children being run over by trains in various ways. (From January 2017)  This was a way to make sure that people never ever even breathe near a train again.  Now we need children to stay away from farms that brings us to our topic today. 
 
  Our 27 minute film  was released in 1977 and is called "Apaches".   It was produced by Graphic Films (which is a great name)  and Central Of  Information.  So now we look at this film meant to make sure to tell you that farms don't play. 

  Let's take a look at the 1977 public information film called "Apaches".
 
  It starts with dramatic intros like you are about to watch some cowboys fight some Indians in a film from 1954.  It's narrated by a child while we see some children playing as Apaches hence the title.

Now we need to introduce the kids in this film.
  First there's Kim , she's eight , Sharon she's 9, Michael , he's daft  because Apaches didn't wear red (guess his age doesn't matter) and our narrator who is telling us this information is named Danny,  there's also Tom and Robert, there's no more information about them. ( I see how Danny feels about them)

 pictured: Kim, Sharon, Michael, Danny,Tom and Robert

   Danny says that his mom and dad are getting ready for a party as it cuts to a scene with a table being clothed.  Now the kids are at farm still playing their  game.  There's a tractor doing farm stuff. The children decide to charge the tractor that's pulling a trailer because reasons.  The farmer actually plays with them by "shooting" at them while they shoot.    Kim was standing on the trailer jumping  when she falls and gets crushed by the big wheel and the shot changes to a school where Kim's coat hook is without a coat while a man takes her name off the wall near the hook.
       

Also the names might be in first name order, not surname , so interesting. 

   Danny talks about his mom and dad prepping for the party while the other remaining kids are talking in a barn.  Danny gets bored of this and they all go to play as soon as they figure out what to do. They settle on playing kick the can. There's a lot of running around the farm while the children are  trying to hide from being tagged by Danny.  Tom runs and falls into a pit called a slurry pit, which is fit with animal waste and other organic material and is quite liquid. He calls for help  but sadly drowns.  The school shot is used again this time a desk being cleaned out the belongings being put into a bag with Tom's name on it.

 The party is mentioned again and Danny talks about how adult parties are boring as we see a table being made with flat ware.   The children are playing at the farm again , though now there are four. Sharon even mentions that there are only four them making their game of Calvary and Indians hard.   The farmer even play shoots back at them again as they "shoot" at  his tractor. (alright then) After the "Apaches" take their win they decide to celebrate.  In a barn there's a bottle that's unmarked but they are at least smart to be wary of it as it might be poison.  Sharon says they should mime it. So they fake a drink  except Sharon whom accidentally swallows it bit spits out some.   Sharon starts feeling strange as she goes home and spends the night in pain. (The screams are harrowing)The next shot is a bedroom being cleaned and emptied.

Yeah don't do that? 

   

    Back to the party thing, Danny wonders why adults drink.  Back at the farm, the 3 remaining  children  play again. Michael almost gets run over but, this film isn't going to repeat a run over. (Does make you think he will be though) They are pretending to be "Starsky and Hutch"  Michael and Robert pretend to be the duo as they are chasing Danny.  When Michael jumps from behind a metal gate that was on a wall it falls on Robert. (The film shows his body while bleeding instead of implying it like the last few) The film cuts back to the party  as guests start showing up.
               

Starskey and Hutch remake is weird man

    There are now two children left, Michael and Danny. They play another game  as the Apaches. Danny decides to jump on a tractor to fake drive it  while the farmer says "be careful" he accidentally hits the parking brake and the machine moves he screams for help  it falls off a cliff and it cuts back to a woman in a room while a man walks in.  To find out that this party is not a party but funeral for Danny. Michael of the six is the only one left as he's at the funeral.   Danny narrates that it's a nice party that's where we find out that Michael is his cousin.  The film ends with names of children who were killed in farm accidents.

       more after the jump

Those PSA (not episodes): 9 out of 10 Dentists Recommend Charlie Brown

Peanuts PSA

        We look at another Peanuts based educational film.  This is one of two films about dental stuff because sure why not?  This 5 minute film came from the year 1978 and is created with the American Dental association.   Let's talk here about "Tooth Brushing with Charlie Brown". (So just the one tooth then)

          Charlie Brown walks awkwardly of a Dr. Jones office, Dr. Jones  is a dentist, a dentist is he. (oh gee) He got some things from the dentist and brags he's going to have the cleanest teeth in town, though really all we are going to see is his frown. (negative Charlie Brown)  Charlie Brown is happy the dentist gave him some tablets and an instruction book on how to brush his teeth. He tells Snoopy and Linus in hopes they seethe. (That's my guess)  Charlie Brown asks Linus if he wants to try it out with him so they go inside Linus' house.  Linus grabs the Linus tooth brush because the Linus tooth brush is for Linus  and the other is for the grouse. (Lucy)

Linus and Lucy don't respect toothpaste at all 

                I'm not going to ask how in one shot the cups are empty of water , then the next shot Lucy's is full of water, after Linus started filling his with water in the sink. I just don't have the time to think. Since they are practicing they don't need to use the actual toothpaste which is good, you don't want to waste.  The short makes a point to say ,you should use just any brush.  (What?) Snoopy is using Lucy's tooth brush and Linus' face is priceless but I won't tell her that the dog used it, I'll just hush.

Linus is grossed out  and so am I 

      Snoopy tries to be a wild man , but Charlie Brown corrects and tells him the right way to brush. There's a zoom into Snoopy's teeth that look strangely human; the main point is to not be in a rush.  Linus and Snoopy brush teeth , there's not much else to say about that action.  The point of Snoopy brushing his tongue with Lucy's brush makes me bristle at what will be her reaction. (Some of you might join her faction)  Charlie Brown gives them tablets that show what they missed and talk about plaque. (Charlie Brown spits out fact)

Instruction for a good life 

        Lucy shows up and wonders what everyone is doing. (She might soon be stewing)  Lucy says she knows all about brushing teeth and so far nobody tells her about the brush being used by a dog.  The faces are great , they look as green as a frog. (not really green, but play along with us)   Lucy  repeats the actions she already knows and wonders why they have such strange faces.  Good thing Snoopy got away with it , because he doesn't know social graces. Oh yeah, they mention flossing, we don't want to know Snoopy keeps it.  It ends with out Lucy having a fit. Charlie Brown does wish his dog was normal like everyone else's.

 Mad dog ! Help!

              It's a simple educational film. I can't say it doesn't do anything that it  is not supposed to do. The short gives you  educational info with Peanuts humor and fun.   There's really nothing else to say,but you should check your teeth , something swimming around there, I won't tell any one though. 

 Tune in next time when find a dentist to recommend Aqua Fresh, the best toothpaste.

But First These Messages but We have undersold ad time so PSA's instead!

PSAs 

          We'll be right back more popular children's program  "The Loud Bob Universe of Odd Parents" after these messages.
 
        So this time we are doing a new "But First These Messages" but with a twist , we don't have ads , instead we have  PSAs ,public service announcements, because someone (sorry) forgot to sell some ad time so have to fill the gap with PSAs.   That's what we are doing this time.

     Sometimes you get lost , so what do you do when you get lost?   Panic!
   
    I could make fun of this one, but it does a good message of  if you get lost (as a kid?) check your area and find a police person to help. (Doesn't work in the middle no where)

   

Is that balloon supposed to say Fail? 

         Today's weather forecast calls for 100% sun and 0% rain if we are wrong it's channel 20's fault. 

           
        I have some questions , why is that guy in the water?  Did that kid want to die?  That metal suit might be dangerous too!
       

This is the face you see before you die! 

       Now it's time to pet this strange dog. 

         

      
      Don't pet random animals he said animals not dogs , so don't pet random bears, only bears you know!

 

mean doggy mean doggy 

Don't forget to watch new episodes of Cyborg Lassie , every Tuesday!  More after the jump

Those PSA episodes: Captian Planet Says stop having children (Again!)

PSA 


   Previously on Joshauonline:  Captain Planet did an episode about people having way too many children you know, on a show for children!   Well they did it again!  (read here)

         Now on Joshuaonline: "Numbers Game" from season 5.

              Captain Planet provides a treasure trove of PSA themed episodes and provides us with entertainment. (not really) 

                  Our Show : Captain Planet
             What are they trying to tell the audience: There's too many People on Earth  but this time it's 1995! 

                                     Let's see, it starts with Wheeler having a birthday and they put a candle in a burger (because America). They also got him some gifts  the Gaya the earth goddess lady has to bring down the party because there's mudslides ad they have to help.  That's just what do and yes more Captain Planet having puns.  The saving part does take up sometime.   They help clean up the mess and Wheeler talks about people living to stacked up  and near a mudslide prone area  and others apparently know everything. (Because not America)   So Wheeler doesn't go to Coney Island but they get to go an eco-themed park. (That exists) 

  American burger/copyright Warner Media 

     Wheeler wonders why people bring children into the world under such conditions (you know living in cities and messy).  The next ride is about population (that's why this park shutdown the next week).   The ride says that children in more developed nations use more resources than those in developing nations. Wheeler falls asleep.  They wake up, finally, the tunnel of love between Wheeler and Linka (so they became a couple? alright then.  Then apparently, Linka and Wheeler get married. (what?)

        Then he wakes up and is older and still married. Also Linka is pregnant and they already have 8 children. So old Wheeler has to go shopping with his children.   Captain Planet villains are selling stuff  at the mall as well, because why not?  We also had time for one his  kids wetting their pants.
 Later on, Kwame and Ma-Ti show up  and talk to him like normal people, no wait they yell at him that he has too many children. (Sorry, you are going to have to kill like 3 of them)  Kwame even says it must stop.  (what?)  Right near the kids too, dang man. Then Kwame says that Wheeler is using too much resources  then Wheeler says like your 40 foot TV  (what?) but Kwame says he has two children.  Even the Earth godess has given up.  Captain Planet has also given up. (The Show and the man) Still hasn't given up on bad puns.

Wheeler went forth and multiplied / Copyright Warner Media 

         It was a dream (duh?)  and they are still on the ride. Then Wheeler tells her if they do get married  that he doesn't even want more than two children.   I also have to laugh at the alert they have to say that soon the Earth will soon have 6 billion people.

             In my last post on the last population episode I said that one here was worst, because it is now, directly it's not saying as much as the first one where it's telling its child audience  that might have 3 kids that one of them is killing the planet so, it at least learned that. Though it is saying they are draining resources or something.  This one also drags out too much trying to make a point that population is too much and people are trying to live in cities for better lives, then it twists to say that you have to use resources better.    But having the characters tell Wheeler that he has too many children makes me think they mean that too many children drain resources but it showed earlier that a country that is developed has less children (true) but uses more resources. (ehh)

     Did it do it's PSA message clearly?   No. Even the last episode was at least clear. Here, we get a mess of insanity. They could be saying that having too many children can drain resources as much as a guy with a 40-foot TV (and with modern tech might not be as true) and two kids.  I don't know.

          Was it a good PSA?  No. There's nothing wrong with telling your audience to use things wisely and be responsible but stop telling your audience who in this show was targeted to children that there are too many children. If they did a focus on using resources wisely or else you are going to have some problems I would at least given them some points but nope, they didn't have any clear message at all. 

    That's it for us, now I have to tell this family of 11 kids  that 7 have to go.  Tune in next time and find out the results. 

PSAs : Don't Break Eggs

PSA

     In the 1980's there was a new mood in the country to stop these things called drugs and so the media had to join the fun.   So  television public service ads had to jump into tell people "Hey you, don't do those drugs."

     The war on eggs. 

      One of the most famous ads from this time was the ad that went "This is your brain..."    In 1987, there was a new set of ads  created by Partnership for a Drug-Free America.    The first ad came in 1987 the famous one we know and love. ( woah calm down there)



      So they had  John Roselius (whom you may know as Admiral Drake on "Jag") play an unnamed guy in the kitchen  who is now yelling at people saying  is there anyone out there  who doesn't  know what drugs do to your brain?  He grabs an egg and tells you .. "this is your brain" ( I was with him until he said that)  Then he points to his pan (not pot) and said this is drugs.  Then cracks the egg and the egg starts cooking where he says this is your brain on drugs.  "Any Questions?"  (Well yes, are you going to share?)

Meanwhile. bacon is your liver and the pan is alcohol ,any questions? 

  

       Now if you did have questions, I guess you had to Yahoo it, (whispers new info) oh go to the library and research drugs and their effects on their brain. 

Meanwhile here at WJOL-TV we only have a 15 second spot left before we get back to Lassie vs the Alien. what are we to fill that 15 seconds with? 

      

     They made 15 second and 10 second versions of the ad.  The above one is 15 seconds. It is slightly creepier.

          The music is creepy and voice is disembodied also sounds annoyed with it's viewers. It's the same lines and the egg is frying.   The 10 second version is funnier out of context because it says "Brain, Brain on Drugs, Questions?"  that might be more confusing  than helpful.

Can I have my brain poached, please? 

   

     Meanwhile, 

    Fake meeting in 1997. 

  George : Remember that ad we made telling people to question eggs on drugs or something? 

  Harry:  Yeah? 

  George: I think people didn't get the message very clearly. 

  Harry: Yeah?

  George:  So I think it's time we make a new one? 

  Harry:  Yeah?

  George: Why do I talk to you ,Harry?

 Harry: I'm not real, George, you are talking to no one right now! 

     Anyway, 10 years later it was time to make this old fashioned ad work for the Xtreme 90's! Xtreme! 

    So they hired Rachael Leigh Cook (whom you may know from the 2001 remake movie of Josie and the Pussy Cats") They continued the theme of your brain being an egg. 

 So now we have a lady in a very nice kitchen. So there's an egg but it's your brain. (First comes the chicken then comes the brain)  Then she has a frying pan which is not just any drugs it's heroin. (woah)  Instead of saying your brain becomes fried and ready for bacon and toast , she smashes the heck out of it.  But wait there's more!  She then proceeds to continue the metaphor   to destroy the kitchen.  She then asks the line of any questions?  (I have a few, like why are you my kitchen?)

It's time to fry! 

        Guess it's a little better than the first one because it says a drug can mess up your life, and might make some people decide , "I ain't doing that."  And safe enough  to air during that broadcast of "Recess". 

more after the jump

Those PSA's (not episodes) : I'm Dying in the Smog , Charlie Brown

Peanuts  PSAs

             First off, I think this is our first educational film covered on this site.  (Accomplishment) Not the first Peanuts media we've covered though.  What are we looking at ?  This time we are looking at an education film from 1979 for schools to show students starting the Peanuts characters and put this in the background of the 1970's environmental movement. It's called "Clean the Air" (this is a film about keeping the ocean clean)

       It starts with Charlie Brown talking about training dogs, like the shake and throw method  where you be like the mother dog and shake the dog and drop it.  ( Excuse me?)  Linus says there's no way he thinks a puppy could learn from that so then Snoopy shakes and drops him. (this is a very violent special, they need the no violence educational film) I think that learns him. (yes we know grammar, this is a joke)   Linus sees that Snoopy's a bit edgy and Charlie explains the reason. (He was shaken then thrown?)  The crazy cat next-door's owner has burning leaves  and etc. causing ashy soot on Snoopy's dog house.

Clean Me 

    Charlie Brown asks his neighbor if he could stop and he offers and ultimatum  if Snoopy tunes up his motor cycle then he'll stop burning trash.  (I'd like to see how that works, like hey neighbor tell your dog to ....fix his motor cycle?  Why do I live in this neighborhood? That's right the houses were cheap)   I also learned that Woodstock is not a good mechanic.  Now, there's a baseball game and Lucy threatens she'll quit if they don't win. (Condescendingly speaking: No, don't quit , that'd be bad)  So anyway, the game progresses and Lucy was trying to see the ball but can't yells to Charlie Brown that's she quits and starts coughing. (I didn't know she meant quitting like that)  There's too much pollution.  She says she could get killed out there.

Charlie Brown looks he's thinking about it. 

   Linus quits too because of the litter, so does Snoopy. Charlie Brown sees his Psychiatrist (Lucy) and he says he's depressed because of the pollution and litter.  Lucy suggest he gives a report in school. (Yes) She has pamphlets from the American Lung association just hanging around in her booth.  (Maybe she is a doctor , after all)  Because its a 6 minute film we don't get a montage of Charlie Brown researching we just get him giving facts to a class.

25 CENTS? Darn 70's inflation. 

        As an educational film it's entertaining and  that's just because it's the Peanuts but the Peanuts really make this work. Since Peanuts works well with short stories because comic strip.  The story in the film is well fashioned at getting the point about pollution out.  It doesn't go overboard it does something that those viewing in the classroom could encounter in their life.  The causes of pollution , Charlie Brown explains are all simply put out and again things that the students watching would encounter in some form. 

This is just quite charming.  

       The solutions Charlie Brown says are also simple and things that the viewers would be able to remember and do themselves or convince their parents to do or not do. 

   I won't harp on the animation because it's an educational film done with a government grant , also it's alright.  the backgrounds are kind of stilled but it kind of works because the Peanuts normally are in a still backgrounds (while being still themselves) so, this more a motion comic style. Musically, It has Peanuts stock music which is nice.    It's also nice for an educational film that it still has that respect for its audience that you get in Peanuts.  

    I usually ask these questions in my "Those PSA episodes series "
   Did it do it's PSA message clearly?    Yeah it does I get the message clearly it talking about how air pollution effects our lives and what to do.  
Was it a Good PSA?  Yes, and not just because it was Peanuts but it's entertaining and informational and well balanced and doesn't stray from it's message that it's giving you. 

 If you want to see the film you can watch after the jump.  Tune in next time when we have Peanuts discuss why you shouldn't do drugs.  

After the Jump is the film 

Those PSA Episodes: Hitting Is Bad so Don't do it

PSA

         Sometimes TV shows want to teach a moral as a public service.  We delve into an infamous episode of "Arthur" that had a message , it gets scrambled  somewhere.

      Our Show : Arthur
        What are they trying to tell the audience: Hitting is Bad.

        This is from Season  4 episode 1b.  Codename : Arthur's Big Hit.  This episode aired in 1999.  Also it is weird not use our normal "Arthur" format for an "Arthur" episode.

         Arthur is working on a model  airplane and D.W is inquisitive about the model at this point isn't over zealous but does annoy Arthur when he is trying to work on the plane.  Eventually, the airplane is finished.  D.W decides to play with the airplane while Arthur is distracted and eventually she ends up throwing it out the window because she thinks it can fly.  She tells him that he made the plane wrong because it didn't fly.  Arthur puts 2+2 together and finds out the truth. Arthur gets angry and punches D.W who cries and runs away. He gets in trouble.

the most famous image from this episode , apparently. Copyright WGBH 

          The episode continues where Arthur and D.W's  parents want him to apologize  he doesn't think he should because he feels justified in hitting her because of her destruction of the plane.  Binky, whom at the time in this series was the bully, and his friends in the 'tough customers' group hear about this as well and Binky is surprised that Arthur hit  his sister. Now his friends want him to prove that Binky still has it in him to hit someone so they tell him to hit the next kid who turns around the corner. Guess who is the first kid to turn around the corner?  If you said anyone but Arthur then you've not been paying attention.

        They tell him that the next time he sees Arthur he has to hit him.  So Binky tries not seeing Arthur.  Meanwhile Arthur is annoyed that people don't see his side in this story.   Eventually Binky and Arthur meet up and the tough customers are around so, he has to hit him and does. Arthur explains what happened  and he felt being hit. He apologizes for hitting D.W  and later Binky apologies and Arthur thanks him for hitting him. (Maybe he got hit too hard.)

     
         Did it do it's PSA message clearly?  Well no.  I am going to start from the start of the episode.  Arthur was shown to be working on this model they did the hammering in of showing how much dedication he was working on this model. It also shows D.W being inquisitive because of course she would. She's a little sister who has been shown in the series to want Arthur to spend time with her and be interested in her. Maybe she was getting interested in the plane to spend some time with Arthur who knows?  This episode doesn't explain more than she's inquisitive.    Now at the part where D.W touches the wet paint plane and Arthur tells her not to touch it comes back when he is getting mad at her before hitting hitting her. He did tell her not to touch it.   The audience may justify that Arthur was in the right to hit her because he was mad and explicitly tell her not to touch it.  Again, this episode is there to tell us hitting is wrong.   It does seem to try to say why the justification of why he hit her wasn't right but they missed at telling you why.  Now, I know why  it was wrong to hit her, but this episode is supposed to be a way for your audience to learn why it's wrong to hit people and maybe telling you why it is wrong to hit someone even when you feel justified.

     There's a part with Arthur's parents punishing him and they tell him again what she did was wrong , and that's true and that they'll deal with it. (which wasn't brought up at all after that moment)  Then they said to Arthur what he was wrong too but not explain a  little of why it is.  Arthur is surrogate for the audience who also is maybe not understanding why it's wrong to hit someone.   Now the Binky part is maybe there to give Arthur a lesson on why hitting is wrong.   This episode did a good job at showing Binky's conflict of not wanting to hit Arthur at all and his internal conflict with that and peer pressure. We are part of a group and the group wants us to do something wrong and if don't do it we be removed from the group is actually given more clearly in this episode then its main plot.  The part where Binky later would rather disband the whole group than let it continue with their hitting rule also shows his learning of a lesson he gathered ,again, better than the main plot. Arthur does learn his lesson in this episode that hitting is wrong, but D,W was still in the wrong too and the episode didn't show what repercussions  she got for her actions. Unless, the hit count as her punishment but that would render the whole episode pointless.   So it didn't get the message out clearly, it seemed like it was focused on saying yeah hitting is bad , but it didn't fill in the gaps well.


           Was it a good PSA?  No.  I think it would have worked better if they had taken out the part where Arthur says don't touch the plane and toned down D.W where instead she wasn't seen for much of the process then she sees the plane the first time and either tries to play with it like in the episode without malice and it breaks and Arthur gets frustrated because of all the work we saw him do and that in a moment of anger hits her, or she brakes it by accident and insert the rest of what I said before. It would give a focus that maybe the episode was going for that when you are angry the best solution isn't hitting and it  removes any implication that the viewer could make that  it's justifiable because of D.W's actions.  The rest of the episode could maybe still even work the way it does.


         Also ,  we know this episode became a meme because of course it did.

  Tune in next time when we find out  why  D.W still brings up the punch 20 years later in therapy.
 
 

 

Those PSA Episodes: Gone Wrong : Hey Kids , There are too many of you, so stop it!

PSA 
 
         You know some shows  were made to be your PSA show , like the whole show.  So that brings us to something that has been talked about by other people before, but hey we are talking about it.

                Our Show : Captain Planet
             What are they trying to tell the audience: There's too many People on Earth in 1991.


    Also fun fact : Captain Planet has two episodes about Population control! (why did we put an exclamation mark there?)

    We are looking at season 1 episode called  "Population Bomb"

          The episode starts with the Planeteers  or Kwame to me exact complaining that a city is crowded. (Which is like complaining that water is wet.)  Now a building is collapsing and they combine their powers to call Captain Planet.   He makes bad puns  and sticks the broken building piece back in.   So they have a theory on what caused this building to start breaking, there are too many people. (Forget building codes not being followed or not being checked, there are too many people instead.) The spirit of the Earth also hammers in that yes there too many people on Earth.  Linka says that everyone should have fewer children.  Gi, says that some countries "recommend" having no more than  two children.   Yes , recommend. (That's a weird way to spell force)  Wheeler says  no one can tell him how many children he can have!  ( Because of course )

   In fact, I'll start fight now! (Copyright Time Warner) 

            There was strange  awkward pause too.  Wheeler is now wind surfing and Gi tells him to watch out for a storm  and he goes eh I do what I want to do.  The storm gets bad and he ends up getting pushed into Island and gets hit in the head with his  wind board.( Guess that's the term) He says  a city and the Island is filled with rat people , who are rat sized.  They knock him out and his magic ring doesn't work because plot needs it not to work.   He meets a doctor named Piebald who stop the machine that was going to make Wheeler in to rat people chow.   Oh sorry they are mice-people, why are they mice because of  Nuclear stuff. The island is called  Miceland. (less decpetive than Greenland)    Back to our PSA message part of the show. Doctor Piebald tells him that they were simple happy folks and the island was full of food  then the mice reproduced like ummm mice.


        Apparently, the mice people built cities and cars  and things got worse and all the non mice animals were eaten or drove unto the sea. (What?)  They also tried to fish in the sea while also dumping their garbage in the sea.  The mice people keep reproducing anyway.  He once tried to tell the people that they can't keep having babies. ( Woah)  The mouse government didn't like this so he was taken away  and forced to work where  he is now not seeing his wife and child.

Stop having children! Vote for me! / Copyright Time Warner

      The mouse general finds out that there are other humans out there. Skipping unnecessary stuff.   The mouse general takes a giant net and captures  Linka and Kwame.  How do the mice have a a human sized net?  (Nobody knows)  They want the humans  to feed the mice people.  The doctor frees Wheeler.   Who does what can be done, grabs one of the army mice and threatens him.  (I am giant human, fear me!)  Again though, couldn't he just step on the mice army.   The other two are woken up  in their new spot.  Here's something , they wanted the humans for food I thought, then  why are they saying slaves?  The mice are confused, don't they need food and the humans could be ground up as food , so why make them slaves, instead of just chopping them up and getting on with grabbing more humans?   When one of the mice introduces Wheeler to their people he does mention that this would be their door to food, land, and slaves. I guess that answers none of questions.

Out of context shot/ copyright Time Warner

     The reason why Wheeler doesn't go crazy and just step on the mice all Godzilla style?  Well that's because he's trying to help Piebald.  The mice plan is to take over the Island the planeteers have.  Wheeler decides to just take Piebald run off with him while the people go crazy and riot.    Wheeler finds Piebald's wife and kid and leaves him there with them, then goes all King Kong on buildings.  Skipping stuff again.  Wheeler's ring works again  because plot and he saves  Kwame and Linka, and they unite their powers for Captain Planet. (lazy)

         C.P takes out the  mice army very easily. (duh)  More bad puns.  Wheeler gets shot by a giant beam and this causes an earthquake, and Wheeler goes to save Piebald and his family. Piebald says to Wheeler don't let this happen to you (don't let the government cause an earthquake and wipe out it's own people in the quest for hairless creatures?) don't let there more people than their world can hold.  Oh what?  This was a dream? That renders the whole episode moot.

    So episodes end with this Planeteer alert PSA thing, and it asks do you know there 5 Billion people on Earth. (hmm so this episode is a little old.)  I could count that against this episode, but that's unfair. Their message to their audience is when you have  a family : keep it small.

         Ummm, hey 8 year olds watching our show, yeah you!  There's too many people so don't have alot of children.
                 Jimmy about 25 years later: Sorry honey, but we can't have a third child.
                 Jimmy's wife: Why not?
                 Jimmy:  Because of something I saw 25 years ago.

   Let's rewind to  that part where Gi says the 2 child "recommendation" that some governments have. 
             3rd child watching the show starts crying.
             Parents walk in the room: What's wrong?
             3rd child : I'm a drain on society, I'm talking all the resources.
            Parents:  Who told you that?
            3rd :    Captain Planet.
            Parents:  Curse you Ted Turner! (Wave fists in their air  in anger)

 Alright , Jan, Peter, Marcia, and Bobby , you are cut from the bunch, can only have 2 children. 

Eight is too dang much... 

           My silly point is that this is a children's show  where children are the target audience so woah you are making this kind of awkward.    Now  this show had different information on things than we do now , so I am not going to fault it for being worried about there being more people before even more people appeared on Earth.   That'd be like attacking a show from 1955 for not  thinking people will get to be on the moon.   Again, back to that recommendation line  that was a stupid thing to say episode and you should be ashamed of that.  One country (you know)  used to have a policy where they told people are only allowed one child (which I am glad that  they didn't say 1 child , that would make more the children watching feel bad. ) and their birth rate already was falling so  when you have more older people and less younger people  umm oops.  And these "recommendations" weren't done because they cared about the Earth.

         Did it do it's PSA message clearly?  Sigh* Yes, it gave it's message  clearly with some entertainment value  trying to hammer in  it's message that there are too many people on Earth and this causes a fight for resources.  Either that, or this episode actually worked and we are living in the world post this episode that had an affect.
 
           Was it a good PSA?  No,  like anything it has to know it's audience and the audience of this show was primarily children  and it's not even the whole telling children not have so many children when they grow up thing, it's more a hey if you are in a big family or a family with more than 2 kids, you are hurting the Earth and are bad people.  Again, possibly unintentional but they should have thought that over a little.   Factually, families in the western/developed  countries have less kids than those who aren't so the message kind of loses it there.  Between 1960 to now, the average amount of kids an American family would have is three.  Yes some have more, some have enough for TLC and UP network reality series, but they aren't the average. (If it was TLC would have had a show with that strange family with only 4 kids) (Joke: Why is Ted Turner telling people to have less kids, wouldn't he want people to have more so they can grow up watching Ted Turner's TV channels, with more watching TNT than ever before?)

      Strangely,  of the two episodes in this series about over population, (what the?)  this one is the better of the two. That's a strange statement to say.

       
     
 

     

Those PSA Episodes: Small Wonders of Smoke

PSAs   

     IN 2017 we had PSA month, were we looked at public service ads , but they weren't the only things trying to get you not to smoke or drink.  TV Shows sometimes also try also have public service messages especially, those made to target families with kids that might be watching.  Sometimes called "The Very Special Episode".  That's our focus this time. (not for a month , that way we can space them out and come back when need be.)

         So we head to the 1980's because this is the decade at the height of family TV and  of the very special episode.
       
                     Our Show: Small Wonder
                   What is it trying to tell the audience?  : Don't Smoke or Chew Tabbaco
       
         
           Small Wonder is a weird show.  It's a show about a guy who makes a robot girl because he wants to make it to impress his job but doesn't do anything with it.  She lives with the family and acts as a snarky mono-toned daughter/sister.  So this is the series I want to  teach the ills of smoking.

         From season 2, Episode 1  "Chewed out/ Smoker's Delight"
 
       Ted , the father, had a stressful day at work and decides to pull out a cigarette which shocks his wife. (gasp!) She gives the lines of cigarettes are bad and stink up your clothes. Then she takes away his cigarettes  and she steps on his foot  then Vicki the robot does it too, harder.

      Their kid and his friend (I'll say their names later)  are now in junior-high school and feeling low because they  are umm at the bottom of school compared to top of elementary school.  Jamie ,that's the son's name, finds the cigarettes in the trash. (plot device and delivery done)  Jamie's friend  thinks of idea to get the older students to not think of them as babies.  (OOh I wonder what ?)

       The robot shows them how to smoke. (This like kids going on the internet, or what the robot future looks like , if we don't stop now)   Because  this is a comedy, we get funny robot smoking scenes like the smoke coming out of her ears because ha.   The two boys try smoking and they cough and stuff and the taped in front a live studio audience laughs.  (It's funny because coughing is funny)

Smoking.. darn AI has gone too far/ Copyright 20th Fox

      Skipping unimportant stuff.

     A boy named Peter ,who is in the 9th grade is coming to visit Jamie and Reggie. He's the biggest jock in the 9th grade apparently. (weee)  Jamie bribed the boy to come with  a rare baseball card then they  offer the smokes.  Now breaking news: smoking isn't cool. Well that's the episode Jamie and Reggie find out that smoking isn't cool and stop doing it. (Psst we have like 9 more minutes)  Oh no wait.   Peter says all the jocks are doing chewing tobacco.

You could say , eight is enough. Copyright 20th Fox. 

     Now the episode explicitly says again that cigarettes hurt you  with the kids saying that to Peter. He says that chewing the tobacco is less dangerous than cigarettes. So this episode isn't about smoking after all it's about the dangers of chewing tobacco.   Also he goes that all pro-ball players are doing it so it must be alright. (good thing this wasn't made during a later time)  The taped in front of a live studio audience laughs at Jamie and Reggie trying it because faces are funny.

Laugh at this , audience /Copyright 20th Fox

   Skipping the unimportant secondary plot line again.  (Scratch that)
      So the parents are trying to have the robot girl sleep (?) in their room because Jamie doesn't think she should be in his room anymore. When they see her sleeping cabinet is smoking they find out that she's been smoking.  The parents find out that Jamie and Reggie were smoking before and they confront their son.   Since the episode isn't smoking is just bad , but chewing tobacco is also  Jamie tells his parents that he's not smoking because of chewing tobacco. (Laugh Track)   Then Father Ted tells him the message (for the audience at home) that chewing tobacco is worse than smoking.  So the father does something else, he tells his son to show him how to chew it, and tricks him into stuffing a whole bunch in his mouth. (laugh track)  So the next day , they hope he learned his lesson.  Just in case , the audience didn't get the message-- they gave Peter , cancer . Jamie says he will never chew or smoke again.

        I do give the show a great point for actually going with the chewing tobacco angle instead of smoking.  The idea that it was safer than smoking happened dafter smoking was reviled not to be safe and this show came out about a decade after , so that message was being given in everything. So to tell the audience that no it's not safer than smoking and they are both bad is a message to get with.

        The writing of this series was not the best in the first place so they apparently needed a way to really nail in that chewing tobacco is bad, so they gave the 1 note character we didn't see before or after (WOAH) cancer as a way to instill that.   The father really only said that it's bad then made his son barf because giving him too much tobacco and making him accidentally swallow it is a good plan?   They did still nail in the message that smoking is bad in the beginning of the episode  and in the middle with even the kids saying that they know it's bad to another kid. But the reason why they did it was to be "cool" with the bigger kids.  Which does show  a good reason why a kid would want to smoke or chew tobacco , because the cool kids are doing.  Again the giving Peter cancer line (because we didn't see him or anything at the school , it was a line Jamie tells his parents) is like saying "see even cool kids can get cancer from doing something dangerous.

       Here's something interesting , cigarettes ads on TV and Radio in the US were banned in 1971 , but  smokeless tobacco ads were still allowed until 1986.



     Even sponsoring the Olympics.

   This episode aired after the ban of those ads took place so, the timing worked out.  But  yeah you could maybe see why people think its safer, it was even still advertised on TV for 15 years after cigarette ads were not allowed.

         Does this episode work as a PSA?  Yeah sure,  It doesn't hammer fist the message with words that doesn't sound natural.  It also tries to keep it feeling like a standard episode so no sappy music or weird drama , though they did kind of breeze through Peter having cancer. Also it was smart to make him somewhat likable otherwise the message would have gotten lost where an audience could go well he's a jerk so bad thing happened to him.  They did that right.

     That's our PSA ,don't smoke or chew tobacco.  Tune in next time when we find out it's bad to smoke pixie sticks.