"There is difference and there is power. And who holds the power decides the meaning of the difference." --June Jordan

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

80s Ghostbusters Toys: For Boys Only

SlashFilm really knows how to appeal to my inner geek. Today, they ignited my nostalgia by posting a picture and some commercials of old Ghostbusters toys. I was surprised by how many of these commercials I totally remembered. What I didn't remember, however, was that the commercials exclusively featured little boys (mostly little white boys) playing with the toys. If you watch this seven-minute mashup of commercials, you'll notice that girls eventually entered the picture to join the boys in eating Ghostbusters cereal, but they never got to strap on a proton pack and zap Slimer.



Can you imagine how revolutionary it would have seemed to have little girls shown on TV playing like these boys are? I can't even think of a more modern example of girls being this animated in their play. Even for doll commercials. Anyone know of any examples?