The following is an excerpt from a Reuters Article (which probably won’t be available a month from now). I say, anything that gets kids to stop watching television is probably a good idea.
Commercial Leaves Kids Too Scared to Watch TV
LONDON (Reuters) – A Marmite commercial that parodied 1950's science fiction film “The Blob” has been banned from all children's' programs in Britain after leaving kids too scared to watch television, the advertising watchdog said.
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Six people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that their toddlers had been terrified by the adverts, with four refusing to watch television after seeing them and two suffering nightmares.
I am amazed at how early children can identify with what is on television. One evening Naomi, at age 16 months, picked up her paper “Zoo Pals†plate, held it vertically in front of her face, and hummed a little song as she rotated it back and forth slightly. Nichelle told me that Naomi was mimicking the commercial.
Naomi is also enthralled with “Blue’s Clues,†and David, somewhat reluctantly, had to share his stuffed Blue dog with Naomi until Nichelle was fortunate enough to find one costing only a few dollars for Naomi. We have some old episodes on tape, and Naomi loves the program. Singing the theme song (which I do very poorly) is enough to get her dancing. I find this impact of television both fascinating and a bit frightening. (By the way, if you have heard a rumor that Steve Burns, the original (and best) host of “Blue’s Clues,†is dead, then you have been misled.)
Had to get in on this one….as a small child I remember begging my mom to let us stay up and watch “The Blob.” She let us, and it was horrible. I had nite terrors for weeks. Ask any of my sisters..they will remember the screams..lol. So I agree…lol…don't let small children near that one..thanks bro…this is such a fun place to visit
Sometimes, you never know what will scare a kid.
With David, we found a very unique way of curing his regularly-ocurring dinosaur nightmares. On the other hand, he was frightened (at almost age 6) by the giant robots in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, which I did not think would have scared him at all, especially because he loves all the Star Wars films, and the extended editions of The Lord of the Rings. David also seems to be permanently afraid of the shower curtain in the bathroom after seeing (while not actively watching), when he was 5, one of the scenes in Signs, which I would not have exposed him too if I had thought he could be frightened by it in any way.