According to a press release, The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC) has filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission urging the FCC to rule that the upcoming broadcast of the animated children's program Zevo-3 on Nicktoons is not in the public interest. Developed by Skechers, the footwear giant, Zevo-3 is the first children's television program to feature characters known to children only as commercial spokes characters.
Although Skechers has promised there will be no product placement in the show, the CCFC contends that children associate the characters with the shoes, and therefore the TV show will constitute one big commercial for Skechers shoes. Thus, the CCFC argues that the program violates the Children's Television Act, which includes the requirement that that no cable operator shall air more than 10.5 minutes of commercial matter per hour during children's programming on weekdays.
I can see Skechers point, that the superheroes have become popular and kids will enjoy a TV show featuring the three -- Kewl Breeze, Z-Strap, and Elastika -- as stars; however, the prospect of having a TV show based on a commercial character is a little unnerving. Still, the reality is, almost every super popular TV show character from kids' shows becomes the spokes character for a gillion products eventually, so it seems a little ironic to say it can't happen the other way around. I mean, I bet Dora sells a good share of shoes herself, along with toys, foods, clothing, you name it, so why can't Elastika get her own TV show? Commercialism is commercialism, and I don't know that it really matters that much which came first -- the TV show or the product.
Family Films
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