Public Service Announcements

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emily_brightside

New member
What are your thoughts on network created public service announcements that feature cartoon characters? I realize that this is something that was done more in the past, but it’s something that is still being done. Personally, I respect the noble purpose behind these PSAs, but I find the whole prospect laughable at best. I believe parents should educate their children and shouldn’t rely on a cartoon character to do their job for them.

So, as I asked, what are your thoughts on this sort of thing? Do you believe that networks should use cartoon characters in this manner?
 
Yin and Yang should be fighting evil, not the horrible zombie children of America that only eat sweets...on second they should teach them to eat veggies (or fruits). But it should be fully animated, but a poorly done hybrid. :shrug:
 
....Why? Please explain.

I personally always thought PSAs were pretty pointless, because the morals they have are always the same sort of thing that kids get shoved down their throats everywhere else-- don't talk to strangers, wear a seatbelt, healthy eating, etc. The fact that they were so clearly a tacked-on thing unrelated to the main story made it even harder to take them seriously. I mean, I'd rather it be like that than have the writers actually try to incorporate them into the story, but still... I don't think I ever got anything out of them as a kid, except maybe the occasional unintended laugh.
 
The only time I hate PSAs are when they use animation taken right off the show, as opposed to using original animation.
It just looks so hideously tacky when they do the former.
 
It's a good mirror on which direction the "Big Brother" machine is trying to focus the new society. Usually it's just the way to keep censorship to a minimum by try to counter constant advertising that show what everyone wants, with a few "eat fruit, play nice" sound bites that even the kids don't believe. Just keep an eye out in case they start the lean to far towards facist or "world rights". Either will likely reflect an political environment that is off the hitch. (parts of the world are using them now and we really should be worried, but we aren't.
 
PSAs can be great if they are executed in a way that doesn't feel like the message is being hammed into your skull. Unfortunately, they usually are not.

The recent Foster's ones weren't too shabby.
 
An example of tacky PSAs were the 4Kids TV PSAs where they have (badly-dubbed) dialogue over footage from 4Kids shows (Sonic X, Winx Club etc.). I didn't see those during 4KTV, but local reruns of "Beakman's World".
 
I only really like PSAs if they do a funny twist on them. For example, last night Cartoon Network aired a PSA with Shnitzel last night. It looked to have original animation and warned kids about dangers of playing with kitchen equipment. The basic gist of the whole thing was : "If it has a sticker with a skull on it, then don't touch. You will die...or at least get injured." :) But the thing he was holding was something that would likely never exist...ever.
 
I remember one where Eggman was trying to find the secret about Sonic running fast, and he found out it was a healthy diet, excersise, and something else. It just used clips from various episodes.

I don't mind PSA as that segment that was tacked on to shows like GI Joe and Inspector Gadget, just for the EI fodder, since it did have original animation. That one with the old school TMNT that I remember seeing on ABC morning block when it was watchable to me, did feel a little choppy, since it was clips from an episode, and it look like they slowed down Donny's movement to make it look like he was saying his line.
 
Just imagine if Sailor Moon did some real PSA instead of the "Sailor Says" segments ;) With the arrival of fanfilms, could we imagine some "fan-PSA", PSA done by fans for fans as a spoof and/or tribute to various PSA?

Speaking of PSA, I spotted this old PSA from 1979 about don't go-off the trails with Road Runner and Will E Coyote http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MzYAwHu1IKQ
 
I remember around 1967-68 Rocky and Bullwinkle promoting prevention of forest fires and telling friends that "Smokey's friends don't play with matches".
 
If anything excelled at PSAs, it had to be some of the following from Filmation--Fat Albert & The Cosby Kids, Gilligan, The Ghostbusters and Brave Starr He Man and She Ra. Almost like a trademark for Filmation that made them famous becuase of the PSAs. But then, G.I. Joe had some unique PSAs themselves. So now we know--and knowing is half the battle.
 
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