L'effetto He-Man. Come i produttori americani di giocattoli ti vendono i ricordi della tua infanzia

Thanks to NetGalley, First Second and Box Brown for the preview to this work of graphic non-fiction, The He-Man Effect. "We were psychological terrorists, with He-Man, [Mattel exec] Mar Ellis said at the time. We burned it into their little pea-brains. And we did"--Paul Cleveland, Mattel I am a fan o Leggi tutto

A depressing but lively look at how toy corporations have been grooming children for the past century to make them brand-loyal consumers whose nostalgia will keep them worshiping at corporate IP altars their whole lives. The irony of course is that as Box Brown points out how nostalgia has made us ma Leggi tutto

Completing this book took me a while, not due to its quality, but because it's dense with information, much like a documentary. My brain often needed a break to absorb it all before moving on to lighter material. The title is still puzzling to me. While it suggests a focus on He-Man, the book delves Leggi tutto

Eighties kids grew up in an odd, free-for-all era in which cartoons were created for the express purpose of selling toys. The author re-examines his childhood loves with both a kid's starry-eyed enthusiasm and an adult's more measured, nuanced take. Brown's criticisms of corporate marketing directed Leggi tutto

The premise of this book is not a surprise to anyone who grew up in the late 70s to early 90s. That children's television producers were actively marketing toys to kids during programming should be no surprise to the kids who watched the shows, or to the parents who passed through the room now and t Leggi tutto

Funny and informative. So interesting to have a spotlight shined on a large part of what encompassed my childhood and how it bled into my adulthood.

Box Brown examines his nostalgia for 80s He-Man toys and finds (unfortunately) the cruel grip of corporate America. The He-Man Effect is therefore a weird ride. It's 50% a history of various toys and related TV series and 50% a diatribe about how corporations are knowingly ruining our children's ima Leggi tutto

Reductive and preachy, while delivering its message with a glib “i’m blowing your mind” vibe that feels very freshman year college. I wish it had developed its emphasis on “imagination” a bit deeper, and relied less on unverified assertions like “we have less imagination because we were told what to Leggi tutto

Talvez O Efeito He-Man seja o melhor quadrinho de Box Brown que tenha lido até então. Claro, muito tem a ver com o fato de que ele lida com um fenômeno que perpassou a minha infância: as empresas investindo forte, num capitalismo tubarônico, para atrair a atenção das crianças para um produto conjuga Leggi tutto