Skip to main content

My Commercial for Summer

This ad yesterday made my skin crawl. It is creepy. Watching this confirmed every reason I have ever had for refusing to buy a Nintendo 2DS for my child. They have depicted children in all the iconic locations of summer, but the kids aren't really "present." They're disconnected from the natural environment. It's manipulative, and sad.

So, with a nod to this loathesome little piece which subverts the real joys of summer, here is my commercial. You'll have to use your imagination.

*****

A sunny day. A happy child is biking along, tossing newspapers to front porches along a paper route.

Narrator: Have you heard the news? Summer's coming. Will you be ready?

Camera pulls back to show second child on bike, happily reaching into a pouch and tossing Nintendo 2DS devices in to trash cans along the route.

Narrator: What's on your summer fun list? Keeping cool?

Parent is throwing diving targets into the pool for kids to bring up. They are revealed to be 2DS devices.

Scene shifts to the beach where kids are digging in the sand with the 2DS, and using them to embellish sand castles. One child loads one up with seashells and floats it it to sea.

Narrator: Or soaking up the sun with your friends?

Next scene--child nailing steps for a treehouse into the tree. Each step is a 2DS. Moving up the steps, the camera shows children in the treehouse consulting a handmade treasure map. They look down at a child in a hammock, reading a book. Next to the hammock is a side table with a glass of lemonade, resting on a coaster. The coaster? A Ninetndo 2DS.

Narrator: Your imagination can take you anywhere. The sky's the limit.

Final scene: the sun has come down and children are roasting marshmallows around a campfire. The fire pit is delineated with a circle of Nintendo 2DS devices.

Narrator: This summer is going to be the best one ever. Because you're going to throw yourself into every minute.

Commercial ends with these words appearing on the screen:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...