So, yesterday was the annual US American tradition of
gathering around yon television to watch commercials.
Don’t get me wrong, there’s a bit more to it than that: some
viewers—namely of the heterosexual male breed—tune in to watch a bunch of
savage barbarians beat the tar out of one another. They call this event a
‘Super Bowl.’ Being a slightly more intelligent and civilized chap, I don’t
quite get the appeal. From what I gather, however, the objective is to chase
down a black-and-white checked pig, kick it through a hoop or net of some type, and then run
around the bases before the opposing team’s mascot gives you a strike. At some
point while this is all going on, spectators are supposed to divert their
attention to a bunch of adorable puppies yapping about which is better: beer that has more taste, or less filling?
As I said, though, the main purpose of this
sporting…spectacle is to celebrate America’s status as a consumerist,
capitalistic culture that supports 1% of the population while ensuring that the
other 99% of us can’t even afford basic human rights like, y’know, healthcare!
Of course, none of that matters as long as we don’t actually
think about it, right?
As long as we just sit back, and mindlessly consume
approximately 60 full minutes of audience-directed marketing, then we’ll all be
happy because we don’t have to consider pesky ethical details like the fact that last night's MVP, Eli Manning, earns approximately $16,000,000 (USD) per year for being able to throw a fucking ball, whereas the average citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo earns just $120 (USD) per year.
But I digress…
The ‘Super Bowl’ has admittedly given us some pretty memorable
commercials over the years. For instance, who could forget Apple’s Macintosh ad
that riffed on Orwell's 1984? Or Snickers’ humorageist Betty White and hysexistcal Aretha Franklin commercials?
I surely couldn’t!
And last night, they did it again, this time courtesy of
MetLife Insurance. (See what I did there? I brought it back ’round to the whole
healthcare thing.)
Now, as you can see, this particular advertisement features some
pretty well-known animated figures owned by Warner Brothers (either directly or through
subsidiaries)...
But then there’s also these two:
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| Captures Courtesy of James Eatock |
Now, the question becomes, why are they featured in this
advertisement? Is it just good ol’ fun, meant to bring a knowing smile to
former fans of He-Man and his fearless friend, Battle-Cat? Or is there more to
it?
Let me back up a moment and explain some things—and, no,
this has nothing to do with my time abroad, but since I have the platform I’m
going to use it to talk about a topic near and dear to my heart: Masters of the
Universe (MOTU).
In 1982, Mattel—the makers of Barbie and Hot
Wheels—introduced a new 6” toyline called “Masters of the Universe.” The
minicomics that came with the original series told of a medieval world (Eternia) wherein science and sorcery merged seamlessly. At the center of this world stood an ancient fortress called Castle Grayskull; and, according to
Eternian mythology, (s)he who rules Grayskull also rules Eternia.
Enter: Skeletor, an
extra-dimensional warlord from Infinitia determined to claim that castle as his
own (with the added benefit of taking Tee-La, the warrior goddess, as his
bride). Also enter: He-Man, a barbarian jungle warrior entrusted with a
magical sword and harness by an (occasionally) different goddess figure, and
fated to be Eternia’s true king one day. (And husband of Tee-La—duh!)
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| From "The Vengeance of Skeletor," courtesy of He-Man.Org |
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| From "He-Man and the Power Sword," courtesy of He-Man.Org |
As a rule, the Eternians were safe thanks to He-Man and his
friends. But something was happening here on Earth that muddied the waters a
little. (And, no, I’m not talking about the controversial fact that DC Comics
decided to position He-Man as a bi-terrestrial character—his mother, now
Eternia’s queen, was apparently from Earth.)
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| "To Tempt The Gods" (DC Comics' MOTU Series, Part 1 of 3, p. 4) |
No, the real danger was US President Ronald Reagan's neoliberal policies. With help from Mark S. Fowler—his flunky at the FCC—Reagan started dismantling the FCC’s power to regulate
certain types of marketing.
Suddenly, Mattel—and others, to be sure—found itself able to
market directly to children in ways that it had never been able to do before.
Enter: the half-hour toy commercial (a.k.a. modern cartoons), ensuring that He-Man and his friends would be duking-it-out with the forces of evil five days a week!
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| Image Courtesy of He-Man.Org |
From 1983-1985 (and then afterward courtesy of repeats),
Mattel—through Filmation—brought the adventures of He-Man and the Masters of
the Universe into the homes of boys and girls across the Western world. But, being capitalists
at heart, the big bosses at Mattel realized there was more to the children’s
market than just little boys!
Enter: She-Ra, the Princess of Power (POP) and He-Man’s twin
sister—and a toyline that was, from the bosses’ perspective, aimed at girls.
(This latter fact is highly debatable, as there are many boys who collected the
POP toys, just as there were girls who collected the MOTU toys.) The initial
She-Ra series ran from 1985-1987, but, like its sibling-show, continued
afterwards through repeats.
The MOTU mythos relaunched itself again—accompanied by
fresh toylines—in 1990(-1991) and 2002(-2004), and the property even saw a
live-action movie produced in 1987 courtesy of Warner Brothers.
Supported by an active fan-community (and yet another toyline, now in its fourth year), the MOTU property has been with fans almost
constantly for the last 30 years. And, rumor has it, that Mattel plans to make the property’s 30th
spectacular.
Not only is there brand new artwork and other collectibles, but references by Mattel officials
to big and exciting things down the road
Could that include a new MOTU cartoon, which what we see in the MetLife commercial
is a preview of? Fans like myself are certainly hoping so!
Now I want to move on to the other big story from
yesterday’s baseball match, or whatever it was: the half-time show.
One word: Madonna.
Another word: Awesome.
Rumor has it, the Material Girl pulled her hamstring right
before the show, but that didn’t stop her from putting on a great performance,
which included bits from fan-favorites “Vogue,” “Music,” and “Like a Prayer.” (NB: Those individual links take you to my favorite versions of each song!)
Yet, as much as I love Madge (excepting her acting
‘abilities’), I’m not here to talk about her performance. Rather, I want to
talk about her wardrobe choice.
For your convenience, I’ve embedded her performance last
night. You don’t have to watch the whole thing, but, at the very least, watch
her during the opening (“Vogue”) segment, and pay special attention to her
ensemble:
It didn’t take long for me—and numerous others—to drop our
jaws when we saw her. “What’re you lookin’ at?” you may join the immaculate
Madonna in asking. The answer is, first and foremost, her headdress. Next it’s
her golden cape. And then the rest.
Almost immediately, my stateside MOTU/POP-friends went to the
Facebook store and started posting comparison images like the one seen here:
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| The Material Princess? |
That’s right: we were comparing her to She-Ra. (See, I
really do try to make these posts come full-circle!)
And I agreed initially,
but it didn't take long for me (and others, to be fair) to realize that the comparison was
close but still a touch off…
And then I (we) remembered the Bubble-Power She-Ra variant from the original and MOTUC toylines:
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| Image Courtesy of Fwoosh |
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| Left: Original Bubble-Power She-Ra Art by Nightwing / Right: Bubble-Power Madonna? |
Perfect comparison!
Now, do I think the homage was intentional? No.
Would I love
to find out that She-Who-Must-Not-Act-Again and Mattel planned this whole thing
out as part of the MOTU 30th Anniversary celebration?
Abso-freakin-lutely!
All right, kiddies, I think I’ve blathered on enough about
all of this. I could go on and on—I haven’t even touched upon the various
ideologies MOTU and POP viewers were inculcated with over the last three decades!—but
I won’t.
Besides, I need to start writing my next entry, which is a
look at part of the UK’s culture happening this very day…
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