This Action Alert from the CCFC:
Nickelodeon and Burger King have reached a new low. They've partnered to produce a new, highly sexualized, ad for a Burger King SpongeBob SquarePants Kids Meal. The commercial, which ran![]()
during the men's NCAA basketball championship and other programming,
features The King singing a remix of Sir Mix-A-Lot's 1990's hit song,
"Baby Got Back" with the new lyrics, "I like square butts and I cannot
lie." The ad shows images of The King singing in front of women shaking
their behinds for the camera intercut with images of SpongeBob dancing
along. The King even measures the behind of one of the woman who has
stuffed a phonebook under her dress. After the King informs children
about the free SpongeBob toy they get with the purchase of
a Burger King Kids Meal, the ad ends with Sir Mix-A-Lot, lounging on a
couch with two female admirers, saying, "Booty is booty."![]()
It's harmful enough when a beloved media icon advertises junk food to children, but it's utterly reprehensible when SpongeBob simultaneously promotes the objectification of women through sexualized imagery.
Please take a moment to view the ad for yourself at http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/pressreleases/spongebobburgerking.html. If
you agree with us that this is an egregious way to advertise a kid's
meal -or anything--to children, tell Nickelodeon and Burger King to
immediately pull this commercial off the air by visiting http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/621/t/6725/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=27008.
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There
is little doubt that Burger King was hoping to court controversy when
they produced this ad. The company continually positions itself as an
edgier alternative to other fast food chains. But it's one
thing to market edginess to adults. It's another to exploit children in
the process. It is simply unacceptable that Burger King is
objectifying women and using sexual stereotypes to lure young children
to its restaurants.
As
for Nickelodeon, it's bad enough that the company profits from using
their most popular characters to sell kids on junk food. But to
associate a beloved male cartoon character with lechery SpongeBob sends
an even stronger message about how little Nick cares about the
wellbeing of their devoted audience.
Tell Nickelodeon and Burger King that this ad needs to stop. Now.
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