Unlike classical
folktale structures and themes — behave or die, prince charming will rescue
you, or stay away from adventures or die — the modern kid lit texts seems to
have developed into its own beast.
It seems safe to
assume that everyone has been exposed to the Star Wars stories, and the generation of children that followed the
original three films, the 90’s kids, were exposed to TV shows like Power Rangers, Dragon Ball Z, and Batman:
The Animated Series, all of which have a few things in common with Star Wars. Within these texts, there is
a resounding presence of light vs. dark, good vs. evil, confronting inner
demons, and being reintroduced into a sacred space with “kick-ass” powers, and
of course, how can we forget, the special “chosen one.” So when exposed to the
new hit TV show Ninjago: Masters of
Spinjitzu recently, we must stop to think, what is it about these Star Wars themes that are taking over
children’s texts lately?
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu is an animated series that airs on
Cartoon Network and is currently in its sixth season. This extremely popular TV
program, created by the Lego Corporation, is about five, pubescent male
characters who discover that they are the ones who must fight for good in their
world and maintain the sanctified balance for everyone else. Of course, there
is one who is the “true chosen one,” Lloyd, whose father Lord Garmadon (wait
can you guess?) turned evil and is bringing evil into the world. Lloyd, along
with his friends Jay, Cole, Zane, and Kai, train under Sensei Wu, Lord Garmadon’s
brother, and learn about patience and how to fight the evil forces. Ok… so not
only does this story follow a semi-Star-Wars-esque
theme, but it also hones in to the 90’s popular TV shows, like Power Rangers, where each character
contains their own unique power but when combined with their friends, will
always create the most awesomely powerful weapon.
While this may
sound like a show that is positively influencing the younger generation to
continue the wise lessons Master Yoda embodies, the use of Legos for the
animation holds an opposing connotation. Here, Sarah Banet-Weiser’s definition
of “brand-culture” in American society can be explored through how it
continuously maintains the illusion of childhood imagination and
personification of “goodness,” but also how it simultaneously supports a
capitalistic society. As in the 2014 Lego
Movie’s implied didactic message arguably attempting to inspire children to
express themselves in imaginative ways, it also promotes the belief of
individuality through the concept of “special-ness,” like being chosen for
“Ninjahood.” While The Lego Movie is
very explicit in its anti-corporation message, the characters that prevail in
both the movie and these TV shows are the ones that think outside the box and
learn to work with others. Once labeled as one who will “bring balance to the
universe,” it appears that “goodness” is used as a selling strategy. The movie
itself tricks the audience into acquiring a false sense of empowerment through
the exaggeration of paying for a $12 coffee or still loving the song that
repeats on the radio every hour; yet, this paradox only hides the truth that
branching away from this corporate control only introduces new methods of
control. “Goodness” or being trained on the “good side” can be seen as a super
power, which exposes the continuation of brand-culture because it is the
corporation that ultimately contains this power. Through self-discovery, these
characters encompass more that just perfect citizenship (“valuable ideology”), perhaps
mirroring a story that may have intended to truly inspire “goodness” but
instead perpetuates new children’s text with the theme that good will always
prevail over evil.
So in a world
where the Disney Corporation owns the rights to Star Wars and Lego™ suggests childhood dreams should be built in
blocks, the commodification of “goodness” is resoundingly present in the texts
created for the current generation’s children.
Notes:
- Banet-Weiser, Sarah. Authentic TM: The Politics and Ambivalence in a Brand Culture. New York, N.Y.: New York University Press, 2012.
- Ninjago Information from Lego Wiki: http://lego.wikia.com/wiki/Ninjago
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