About 15 or so years ago, cartoons were my god and Nintendo my friend. Fifteen years later, it’s still the same story: cartoons are still god and Xbox/PS2/any other black gaming contraption the friend of every kid with opposable thumbs.
While most people would like to believe that today’s brand-conscious tech-savvy kids, with their knowledge of computers, advanced gaming systems and pop culture references, have turned into little adults, some experts would highly disagree.
"Kids are not little adults," demurs Maria Caraballo, director for international research and planning of MTV Networks. Based on more than 500 focus group discussions and 10,000-plus interviews with kids, researchers have realized that while kids are particularly articulate in communicating their needs (as well as the brand of jeans they’d prefer), it doesn’t mean they want to be treated as adults.
"Sure, they want autonomy, they want to go out without a chaperone," explains Caraballo but that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy being kids. Just as kids my age back in the ‘80s enjoyed loafing around, going to the park and watching TV, so do kids today. "They’re not in a hurry to grow up."
As cringe-inducingly obvious as the coming statement may be, it must be said: kids just want to be kids. There I said it (save the tomatoes for later, I’m getting to my point). Within the gurgling vacuum of television, kids still enjoy shows that address their issues: the thinly-veiled need to be popular (Unfabulous, a show following the angst of a blend-with-the-crowd 12-year-old with higher social aspirations and some guitar-playing skills), the urge to laugh out loud at ludicrously-drafted characters (SpongeBob Squarepants, one of TV’s best-loved creations, the irrepressible SpongeBob and Patrick Starfish are the funniest creatures to come out of the sea), and the desire for an intelligent voice to guide them through the awkward and oftentimes troubling developments of childhood (As Told By Ginger, a smart approach to documenting the life of a teen-wannabe through the lens of sensible, nimble-witted and sometimes social gaffe-prone Ginger and her group of friends).
The network behind all these shows, Nickelodeon, understands that their audience is conversant and fed-up with the mindless, lesson-filled pop-culture vacuity that was the cartoon. They’ve raised the bar, so to speak. In marketing terms, that means hitting the target, meeting your market, grabbing your audience, knocking it out of the park… (I’ve pretty much used up my daily regimen of euphemisms here).
At the Nickelodeon network, seen in over nine million households locally and 183 million homes in the region, the approach has been to take things from a kid’s point of view. "We put kids at the core of everything we do and want to ensure that everything we do has a spirit of playfulness and messiness," says Catherine Nebauer, general manager and SVP for Nickelodeon Asia. The Splat, the network’s trademark logo, symbolizes the irreverent, bold, carefree and good-humored rebellion that many kids relate to today.
They may cover the same basics in their shows – life lessons, funny stories, learning points – but they often come wrapped in a lovable yellow sponge-like package.
SpongeBob Squarepants, the Stephen Hillenburg-helmed show that had millions pinching pennies to purchase show-related merchandise, food products and DVDs, spawned a following no cartoon had ever seen before. With its satirical pop culture references, visual puns and deadpan humor, SpongeBob quickly gained an adult following, making it the number one show on the network. While rumors dogged the series concerning the two main characters’ sexuality (Are they gay? Why does SpongeBob wear a skirt and apron in a couple of episodes? How to explain his close relationship with Patrick? Is Squidward, with his haughty, more upscale taste, also gay? And the ultimate question: who isn’t gay on this show?), everyone jumped on the Bikini Bottom bandwagon.
With so many other networks’ perception of kids as jaded indifferent tweens growing up into jaded bored teenagers, a lot of programs have been skewed at adults. But none have reached the same status as SpongeBob, which is ironic since the relentlessly optimistic characters are moving in the opposite direction.
Perhaps what shows like SpongeBob and As Told By Ginger have proven is that, no matter what the premise, kids will listen to something smart and real – even if it comes in the form of a bright levelheaded redhead like Ginger or an unflappably cheerful yellow sponge.