Ronald Reagan's ascension to the American presidency led to a wave of deregulatory practices that remains lauded (and imitated) by conservatives to the present day. Among these practices was the repeal of FCC protocols that prevented children's programming from engaging in direct marketing. This led to a slew of cartoons that were thinly-veiled toy commercials for the impressionable youth of the 80's.

This episode of Reel Deep Dive focuses on My Little Pony, one of the most financially successful examples of this idiom. Together, Ryan and Sylvan will examine this franchise's 1986 theatrical feature. Themes under discussion will include the psychological effects of marketing to toddlers, the ramifications of gendering mass media, and how 80's cartoons have since been reinterpreted by adults who grew up watching them. They also take a few minutes to take cheap, unproductive cracks at the film's lackluster budget and numerous continuity errors.

Ryan and Sylvan were in the targeted age demographic for this program when it first aired, so they speak about this subject with the mark of grim personal experience.  

Ver todos los episodios