Unit 2 - Short Response (Batteries Not Included)

Teddy Ruxpin!!!!!!!!!!

For those of you who do not know, or may not remember, Teddy Ruxpin was an animated story telling teddy bear from back in the mid 80's.  My all time favorite toy!!!! Anyway, this video was the very first commercial I saw for the toy and their marketing tactics definitely worked on me! It starts off with a child nervously getting on a school bus, probably his first day, and he doesn't seem to know anyone.
Does that situation sound familiar to anybody? Well, the Worlds of Wonder toy company could fix that problem for you! Just ask your parents for the Teddy Ruxpin bear!!!!! Simply put a story cassette tape in his back, 4 D batteries (not included), press play, and Teddy begins to move his mouth and tell you stories. His eyes even blink! Presto! Instant friends and attention!!!!
This commercial has both positive and negative appeals to it. On one hand you would feel appreciated, rewarded, like you were held in high esteem, like you were on a great adventure, famous, and most definitely satisfied. Who wouldn't? Everyone would be paying attention to you. They would all want to sit next to you and they'd think you were SO cool! Plus, the moving, talking bear would tell you stories!!!!
I was an only child at the time, and thought he could be like a little brother. I had plenty of friends but could empathized with the boy in the commercial. So much so that I just had to have that bear! Which leads to the other hand...if..I..did..not..get..this..bear..I..would..feel..like..a..TOTAL LOSER!!!!!! I absolutely had to have it. Plus, they even made a cartoon about this bear. If you didn't want one before, you'd have to want one after that!
Is this commercial realistic? In my mind? Yes. It could be hard for some people to make friends, and as a kid, toys could facilitate that bond. LOL Before everyone and their dog had one I got A LOT of attention because of it. Pretty much any kid with a new and innovative toy like that would get attention. Looking back on it now, I believe that they wanted kids to think that they would remain nameless and friendless without this bear! Pretty messed up thing to make a child feel if you ask me, but, it sells.


I have to share this next commercial because it was my favorite Teddy Ruxpin commerical. I was obsessed with scary stories and movies, not to mention talking animals. Thanks Disney. Had I not begged enough after the first commercial to get my bear, this one would have motivated me even more. It was exciting and inspiring. You could make a bear come to life!!!!!!! This one was also probably suppose to have positive and negative appeals. Positive:  you would be held in high esteem and embark on a great adventure! Negative:  you would be just another normal, no-name kid without it.

In closing, I had to add this last video to show that this bear is STILL being marketed to me!!!!!! I remember what it was like to have this toy and how much I loved him!
Ahhhh!!! A different company makes it now, but they are not any less effective in speaking directly to my soul. If I buy this bear, I will feel young and adventurous again. If I don't I will just be plain 'ol boring 29 year old me. Heck, it even makes me want to have children! Then I could share the amazing feeling that Teddy Ruxpin gives me with a kid of my own. I would buy it for someone else's child but then it would not be in my house for me to enjoy :-)
Wow! That is pretty ridiculous. What do I need with a talking bear for? LOL Marketing is a powerful tool!

Unit 1 Short Response

When it came time fore my parents to pick my name, my mother knew that she wanted my nickname to be Nicki but did not want Nicole to be my first name. My dad's name starts with a 'J', as does my older brother's, so he wanted my name to start with one as well. He wanted to call me Joy, to be exact. My mother said no, thank goodness, and countered with Jennifer. I was thus named Jennifer Nicole Kent.

I was actually obsessed with my full name growing up. I wanted it to have meaning and felt that Jennifer was too common and simple. I also only ever heard it when I was in trouble so needless to say, I hated my first name.  I felt that my nickname, Nicki, was spelled too "alphabet simple" and changed it to be spelled N-i-k-k-i. Many people spelled it that way so I ended up changing it again to N-i-c-c-i. I also did not want to follow the Kent way of life, so I could not wait for the day I got to change my last name. I believed at the time that the meaning of a name could determine who a person would grow up to be. You know, like if you name a cat Odin, after the God of War, then you were destined to have a holy terror on your hands.I hoped if I researched my name a little I could find a reason to appreciate it. Alas, the search I did revealed that Jennifer was a variant of the name Guinevere.

Are you kidding me?! She cheats on her husband, the King, with his right hand man! Who in their right mind would want to grow up to be like her?! I officially HATED my first name and despised anyone who called me by it. I laugh about this all now as I think back. Eventually I came to realize that our lives are our own and they are what we make of them. I know that my name does not define me in any way. It is simply a label used to distinguish me from everyone else. To think, if I put as much energy into my life as I did in hating my name and fighting against it, I could have accomplished so much more.