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Dan Row COMM 359 Rhetorical Criticism Dr. Kate Simcox Originally due A ril !"# !"$! Ferb, Fozzie, and Fillies: Defining the Genre of Adult-Focused Childrens Media %oo&ing at today's tele(ision line)u o* most o ular shows# one can *ind many ex ected to hits such as crime dramas# reality shows a+out singing# sitcoms# etc. According to ,.uide's list o* most o ular ,- shows# the to *i(e are/ American Idol# NCI # !he "ig "ang !heor## !he $oice# and %erson of Interest. 0urther down the list one will *ind Glee, "rea&ing "ad, &ins, Gre#s Anatom#, De'ter, !een Mom, Californication, and (a) and *rder. Many o* these to shows co(er to ics li&e teen sex# drugs# murders# medical mysteries# and singing 1+ut not necessarily in that order2. 3ith shows li&e these in such high o ularity# a rather dismal icture o* the world +egins to *orm. 4owe(er# with a second search through this list# a *ew shows stand out *rom the usual cro o* (ery adult) minded media/ iCarl#, a 5ic&elodeon show a+out one s un&y teen girl and her (ideo +logs or !he +izards of +a,erl# %lace, a Disney show *eaturing teen icon# Selena .ome6 in which a *amily o* wi6ards tries to ma&e a li(ing among non)magical *ol& in 5ew 7or& City. One can *ind a similar situation in the mo(ie industry# with incredi+ly o ular action thrillers and science *iction dramas that dominate the +ox o**ice. 3hile with +oth mo(ies and tele(ision# there are shows intended *or &ids# most remain *airly un o ular outside the demogra hic o* children whom these rograms try to reach. Des ite the o(erwhelmingly adult *ocus in o ular and well)recei(ed media# some tele(ision rograms and mo(ies# though intended *or children# +ecome (ery o ular with adults# so much so that some o* these (iewers do not e(en (iew the shows with a child. ,hin&ing a+out these &inds o* exam les# it ma&es one wonder/ what ma&es these di**erent *rom other children's media8 Do these &inds o* shows and mo(ies *orm a new genre or do they sim ly exist as a su+set o* an existing one8 Can any similarities +e seen +etween what ma&es these &inds o* shows o ular and what media are ty ically o ular among adults and more adult)minded rograms8 ,he main *ocus o* this essay will +e to examine three (ery o ular +ut (ery di**erent exam les o* children's media which are o ular with adults to *ind out i* enough similarities can +e drawn to see i* they *it into a new genre which may +e called Adult)*ocused Children's Media# and to examine what rhetorical tactics might +e em loyed to attract the mixed audiences they do. ,he ,hree main arti*acts 9 will study are the Disney Channel's o ular cartoon %hineas and Ferb# ,he 4u+ 5etwor&'s tele(ision cartoon M# (ittle %on#: Friendshi- is Magic# and !he Mu--ets# namely this *ranchise's newest mo(ie addition o* the same name.

%hineas and Ferb %hineas and Ferb is a o ular Disney Channel cartoon that has +een on air since !"": and is currently in its third season. Created +y ;e** <Swam y= Marsh and Dan >o(enmire# the show *eatures a sim listic# two)dimensional animation style including many geometric sha es and +right colors. %.F *ollows the li(es o* ste +rothers >hineas 0lynn and 0er+ 0letcher# two intensely creati(e +oys in ursuit o* their goal to ha(e the +est summer (acation e(er. ,he

Descri-tion of Artifacts

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show also includes the wor& o* their sister Candace and their et laty us >erry. ?ach e isode o* %.F is a roximately !" minutes long 13" minutes with commercials2 and actually contains two mini)e isodes. An e isode generally consists o* three main story arcs. ,he main arc *ollows the duo and their *riends as they do incredi+le things# such as go to the moon# *ly on a magic car et# ex lore the de ths o* the ocean# or circumna(igate the world in under !@ hours. As this main lot arc is ta&ing lace# at least two su+ lots generally ta&e lace at the same time. ,he second story arc in(ol(es their sister Candace# a teenager who is o+sessed with <+usting= her +rothers# that is# getting her mom to see the *antastical thing the +oys ha(e gotten themsel(es into that day. ,he third arc stars the *amily's et laty us# >erry who# when the *amily isn't around# wor&s with a C9A)style organi6ation as a secret agent who com+ats the maniacal lans o* the <e(il= Dr. 4ein6 Doo*enshmirt6. During the course o* a show the three story arcs remain *airly se arate +ut intertwine at the last minute# canceling each other out so +y the end o* a day# the +oy's mother doesn't disco(er their ad(entures allowing all maAor lot elements to reset# and each e isode to end without any maAor changes to the characters' world. 0rom this show# a *ew main characters deser(e notice and examination. 0irst is >hineas 0lynn# a creati(e and ingenious +oy who wants only to ma&e e(eryone ha(e a good time and to do something incredi+le. Along with >hineas comes 0er+ 0letcher# >hineas's British ste +rother who is much Cuieter than >hineas. 4e usually only says one line er e isode. 4e and >hineas wor& together on all their roAects# and though >hineas is more (ocal# the two seem to ha(e eCual s&ill and &nowledge. ,hen there is Candace# +iological sister to >hineas who the show im lies has a near o+sessi(e com ulsion with getting the +oys in trou+le. She seems to +elie(e that the +oys are e(il and want to do things out o* malice# when in reality the +oys only want to ma&e cool and *un things. 9t seems they ne(er consider that what they are doing might +rea& any rules. O*ten when Candace tells the +oys that she's going to tell mom they res ond enthusiastically# assuming she will +e leased. Also in the 0lynn)0letcher *amily is %inda 0lynn# Candace and >hineas's a D"s o star turned homema&er who has married %awrence 0letcher 0er+'s +iological *ather who owns and manages an antiCue store in Dan(ille# where the show ta&es lace. ,he *inal mem+er o* the *amily is >erry the >laty us# also &nown as Agent >. 4is secret li*e *ighting su er) (illains remains un&nown to the *amily he li(es with. 9t is stated se(eral times throughout the show that should they *ind out his organi6ation would trans*er him to a new *amily. ,hough >erry ne(er s ea&s 1though he does &ind o* gurgle2# he is an intelligent +eing ca a+le o* critical thin&ing and rational thought. Other maAor characters include Dr. Doo*enshmirt6 1o*ten Aust called Doo*2# a sel*) roclaimed e(il scientist and comes u with numerous <dia+olical= lots. Des ite his e(il)genius status# e isodes o*ten ortray him as +um+ling and &ind o* ine t# so much so that a laty us can unra(el his lots# o*ten due to the (illain's own oor lanning 1>erry destroys many o* his in(entions +y *iring the contra tions on themsel(es or +y hitting a sel*)destruct +utton Doo*enshmirt6 has installed2. >hineas and 0er+ also ha(e many *riends who hel in their daily ad(entures. 9sa+ella .arcia)Sha iro# a <Mexican);ewish= girl li(es across the street *rom the 0lynn)0letchers and leads o* a trou e o* <0ireside .irls#= a grou similar to the .irl Scouts. She and her trou e o*ten hel the +oys +y accom lishing tas&s *or them. Another character# BalAeet# an 9ndian)American +oy# gladly calls himsel* a nerd and lo(es math. BalAeet's counter art is a thic&)nec&ed +ully &nown only as Bu*ord.

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,he show deser(es examination as it currently holds osition num+er $"@ on ,- .uide's most o ular ,- shows. 9t has recei(ed two ?mmy nominations and *our Daytime ?mmy nominations o* which it has won one *or Outstanding 3riting in Animation. ,he show has an audience that consists largely o* children# +ut has attracted much attention *rom a su+stantial adult audience as well. ?(idence o* the adult audience can +e *ound in >hineas and 0er+ merchandise which can +e urchased in stores targeted at mar&ets older than D) to $!)year)olds# such as 4ot ,o ic and ;C >enney. M# (ittle %on#: Friendshi- is Magic ,he second show# M# (ittle %on#: Friendshi- is Magic 1or more concisely M(%:FiM2 is an u dated (ersion o* re(ious cartoon in the M# (ittle %on# *ranchise. ,he show airs on the 4u+ 5etwor& and has nearly *inished its second season. M(%:FiM, *eatures a westerni6ed anime)esCue style consisting many astel colors. ,he show# li&e %.F lasts a+out 3" minutes er e isode 1a*ter commercials2# +ut unli&e the *irst show# only contains one story er e isode rather than two. M(% ta&es lace in the magical land o* ?Cuestria# where the main inha+itants are (arieties o* tal&ing onies/ either magical unicorns# *lying < egasus onies#= or strong <earth onies.= A wide (ariety o* other magical creatures inha+it ?Cuestria such as dragons# hydra# and gri**ins. ,he monarch >rincess Celestia# an a arently immortal# inherently good unicornE egasusE ony rules the land and cares *or all o* her citi6ens. ,he story *ollows the li*e o* the rincess's young student and rotege# ,wilight S ar&le. By order o* the rincess# ,wilight S ar&le must mo(e to >ony(ille# a somewhat rural town in the heart o* ?Cuestria to learn a+out the im ortance o* *riendshi . ,he main characters *rom this show include ,wilight S ar&le# the slightly nerdy# studious unicorn who li(es in a li+rary in >ony(ille. 4er *riends include A leAac&# an honest and hardwor&ing earth ony who li(es on a *arm outside o* town# their *riend# >in&ie >ie# a +right in& earth ony who lo(es to laugh and arty all the time while wor&ing as a +a&er# and 0luttershy a so*t s o&en and caring etting 6oo owner who treats e(eryone &indly though e(erything terri*ies her. 5ext is Rain+ow Dash# a loyal and s orty egasus lo(es to show o** her athletic s&ill wor&s *or >ony(ille +y changing the weather 1which is actually a *airly normal Ao+ *or a egasus2. ,he last o* the <mane six= as many call them# is Rarity# a +eauti*ul and (ain unicorn who wor&s as a dressma&er and dis lays her generosity +y ma&ing dresses *or all o* her *riends. Along with the mane six comes a secondary grou o* characters &nown as the <Cutie Mar& Crusaders= a grou o* three *illies in ursuit o* their cutie mar&# an em+lem which magically a ears on a ony's *lan& when they ha(e *ound their li*e's calling. ,he grou consists o* A leAac&'s younger sister A le+loom# Rarity's younger sister Sweetie Belle# and a *eisty young egasus named Scootaloo. -arious towns*ol& *rom >ony(ille also ma&e a earances along with mythical +easts li&e +asilis&s or dragons who show u now and then. ?ach e isode o* M(%:FiM *ollows one o* the onies as they ha(e some sort o* struggle. ,he e isode rogresses and the trou+led ony turns to her *riends *or hel and as each try to o**er their hel the trou+led ony learns a lesson a+out *riendshi . Many times these struggles in(ol(e another ony. 9n these times they learn how to o(ercome their issues with *riends o*ten with a musical num+er or two thrown in along the way. ,his show deser(es examination due to its massi(e adult internet *ollowing. ,he show# aimed mainly at girls under age $" has +een noticed and consistently (iewed +y males +etween the ages o* $F and 35. ,hese sel*) roclaimed <+ronies= account *or a maAority o* the show's

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(iewers. According to 7ou,u+e statistics# M(%:FiM holds the most o ularity with <males $3) $:# males $D)!@# males !5)3@.G 0or a show whose title screen +oasts (arying shades o* in& and ur le# this seems li&e a real outlier to the general children's media genre and could li&ely hel *orm art o* a new genre which *ocuses much more on its adult (iewers. !he Mu--ets ,he *inal arti*act to examine is !he Mu--ets/ Created +y ;im 4enson in $95@# Mu ets ha(e +een a art o* the cultural scene *or a long time. ,he Mu ets de+uted as characters in the show am and Friends in $95@# +ut had also +een included in the hit late night ,- show# aturda# Night (i,e since the (ery *irst e isode +ut the show's creators later remo(ed the u ets *rom the show. Many o* the o ular Mu et characters we now &now *irst a eared in !he Mu--et ho) running *rom $9:F to $9D$. ,here ha(e +een many mo(ies made with these Mu ets including !he Mu--et Mo,ie 1$9:92, !he Great Mu--et Ca-er 1$9D$2, !he Mu--ets !a&e Manhattan 1$9D@2, Mu--et !reasure Island 1$99F2 and !he Mu--ets +izard of *z 1!""52. ,he newest mo(ie called sim ly# !he Mu--ets, written +y and starring ;ason Segel# hit theaters in !"$$. ,he !"$$ *ilm *eatured many o* the classic Mu et characters as well as some new *aces. Kermit the *rog# a mild)mannered# cool +ut charismatic *rog starred as the *ace o* ,he Mu ets as he has since $9:5. 4is romantic interest Miss >iggy# the +ra6en and +elligerent ig starred along with her *roggy lo(e as well as with other *amous Mu ets such as .on6o the .reat# 0o66ie Bear# Dr. Bunsen# Bea&er# ,he Swedish Che*# Rol* the Dog# Sam the ?agle# Ri66o the Rat# the Mu et +and &nown as Dr. ,eeth and the ?lectric Mayhem# Scooter# and many more. 9t also starred human actors ;ason Segel as .ary and Amy Adams as Mary. !he Mu--ets# running $"3 minutes# *ollows the story o* 3alter and his +rother .ary# one +orn a Mu et# the other a human. ,he two li(e in <Smalltown= somewhere in the Hnited States where .ary *ell in lo(e with his girl*riend Mary# a schoolteacher in the town. 0or the cou le's tenth anni(ersary# .ary lans a (acation to %os Angeles *or the two as well as 3alter# so that they can all (isit the Mu et Studios. ,his in*ormation thrills 3atler# +ut Mary *inds the two +rothers' relationshi ro+lematic since .ary always worries a+out 3alter and does not always ha(e time *or her. 3hen they arri(e in %os Angeles they *ind out Mu et Studios with a <0or Sale= sign and showing that it has *allen into great disre air. ,hey meet u with Kermit the 0rog and *ind out that oil tycoon ,ex Richman has lans to urchase and destroy the Mu ets' old headCuarters in order to rid the world o* the Mu ets. ,hey then decide to get the whole Mu et gang +ac& together so they can sa(e the studios as well as the Mu et name. 9n their *ight to sa(e Mu et Studios they ut on a large telethon in order to raise enough money to +uy the +uilding +ac&. 9n the end they *ail at this# +ut the *ractured grou grows close +y the end# including 3alter as their newest mem+er# allowing .ary to *ocus more o* his time with Mary. ,he (illain ,ex Richman gets hit on the head near the end o* the *ilm which changes him *rom a destruction)+ent (illain to a genial man who lo(es to laugh. 3ith its long tradition in adult circles Mu ets ha(e +ecome a classic with adults. ,he original Mu ets tele(ision show aired in rime time# garnering a large adult *ollowing along with children. ,he *ranchise# lasting se(eral decades# has allowed its child *ans to grow u and continue to enAoy it. ,he mo(ie in Cuestion won an Academy Award in !"$! *or the Best Original Song entitled <Man or Mu et.= ,he *ilm has recei(ed great critical acclaim *rom adult *ilm critics including Roger ?+ert who ga(e it three out o* *our stars and the mo(ie currently has a

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9FI *resh rating on Rotten ,omatoes. 3ith this long)standing tradition o* o ularity with adults# it seems that this arti*act may too *all into the category o* children's media *or adults.

0'-lanation of the Method

0or this essay 9 intend to a ly a generic criticism# s eci*ically generic descri tion to these arti*acts in order to see i* a se arate genre exists. According to SonAa 0oss# <.eneric descri tion in(ol(es o* *our ste s/ 1$2 o+ser(ing similarities in rhetorical res onses to articular situations# 1!2 collecting arti*acts that occur in similar situationsJ 132 analy6ing the arti*acts to disco(er i* they share characteristicsJ and 1@2 *ormulating the organi6ing rinci le o* the genre= 1$@$2. 9 lan to im lement these ste s to de*ine the genre o* adult)*ocused children's media as well as to understand its rhetorical im ortance.

Generic imilarities
Childrens Medium %hineas and Ferb and M# (ittle %on# clearly demonstrate the genre's use o* a child's medium. Both *ollow *airly strict *ormulaic atters and use a modern animation style with +right colors and +ig sha es. ,he onies ha(e +ig anime)style eyes which ma&e them a ear cuter and a ear in mostly astel colors# generally in&s# ur les# and ale yellows# the &ind associated with girly# childish sorts o* ideals. %.F's characters ha(e a (ery geometric and sim le design# in *act# >hineas's head is really nothing more than a triangle with eyes and a mouth. 3hile Mu ets are <real=# they too are an exam le o* children's media as u ets aren't o*ten seen in media intended solely *or adults. ?ach arti*act is com act in length with the *ilm +eing the longest at a little o(er an hour)and)a)hal* long. Additionally each arti*act's story ta&es lace in a world that greatly di**ers *rom reality# a common trait in many similar rograms *or &ids. 0er+ and >hineas's world is one where children can +uild a roller coaster in the middle o* a city and not get in trou+le# where laty uses can show reason and intelligence and where the (illains are angry hermits in la+ coats. ?Cuestria also *eatures totally unrealistic characteristics with its lethora o* *antastical creatures and its cast o* tal&ing horses. ,he existence o* magic in their world sets it a art *urther *rom our own world. ,he Mu ets' world *ollows# with its tal&ing animals and its goo*y design o* Mu et eo le and 1usually *riendly2 monsters who can ha(e +lue s&in# green hair# or two heads and can +rea& out into s ontaneous song and dance when the moment arises. ,hese elements# though they can (ary greatly *rom arti*act to arti*act# the genre reCuires the medium so it would stay recogni6a+le +y their u+lics as traditional children's entertainment. Man# $ar#ing Characters %oo&ing at the cast o* characters *or each o* these arti*acts# one *inds that each show *eatures a large cast o* characters that all dis lay (ery di**erent traits. M(%:FiM exem li*ies the wide cast o* characters seen in the rest o* the genre. ,he mane six can relate with all di**erent &inds o* (iewers/ whether they identi*y as athletic or <country#= timid or +ra(e# silly or +oo&ish# (iewers o* the show can *ind a character to relate to and watch them o(ercome similar o+stacles to their own. 9n %.F one can *ind that these (arying characters also hold eCual social status. 5one o* the characters are seen as +etter or more o ular than another. ?xtra(erted and am+itious >hineas or Cuiet and nerdy BaAleet ser(e as eCual mem+ers o* the grou and either could lead and guide the grou 's acti(ities *or the day. ,hough the Mu ets de*initely ha(e a leader in Kermit the 0rog# he does not seem li&e the &ind o* general <leader)ty e= ersonality.

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Kermit# a Cuiet and mild)mannered ersonality# does not *orce his leadershi on the others# rather the other Mu ets loo& u to him *or leadershi . ,hough this does *orm a grou hierarchy# it still *osters the idea that anyone can +ecome the leader. ,he Cutie Mar& Crusaders *rom M(% hel to reach audiences o* (arying age or *amily status. ,he older onies allow more mature *amily mem+ers such as arents and eldest si+lings to relate more easily# while the little *illies hel younger audiences to *ind commonality with the show. ,he three little girls' ad(entures draw in many eo le# +ut more than that# their search *or meaning and *ul*illment as well as their as irations to +e li&e the ones they loo& u to ring true with any (iewer who has had an older si+ling they loo& u to or erha s a mentor they want to +e li&e. ,his also allows the show to resonate with (iewers on di**erent le(els/ as the older# trou+led character or the younger# lost character. A wide racial (ariety exists in these rograms as well. ,he three di**erent races o* onies ma&e u the mane six# and they +e*riend and coo erate with a lethora o* other s ecies. 9n se(eral e isodes they recogni6e the di**erences +etween the three di**erent eCuine races# +ut they also understand the im ortance o* each s ecies to the harmony and continued *unction o* the grou . ,he neigh+orhood o* the 0lynn)0letchers also dis lays a di(erse racial heritage. BalAeet hails *rom 9ndia where he li(ed since a young age +ut mo(ed to the Hnited States with his *amily. 9sa+ella .arcia)Sha iro# as re(iously mentioned# identi*ies as <Mexican);ewish.= ,here seems to +e a rather large Mexican);ewish o ulation in their community o* Dan(ille as they hold a Mexican);ewish *esti(al in the e isode <>icture ,his#= where attendees < ut +ottles on ca+e6as= and <ha(e Mit6(ahs u on mesas= and where eo le shout <oy)lKL= 1a ortmanteau o* <oy (ey= and <olK=2. ,he 0lynn)0letcher *amily also dis lays cultural (ariety as 0er+ and his *ather hail *rom the Hnited Kingdom while >hineas# Candace# and their mother seem to come *rom the Midwest +ased on the Minnesota)esCue accent o* their mother and .randmother. !he Mu--ets dis lays this cultural (ariety in erha s the most extreme sense. ,he cast consists o* humans as well as u ets including human)li&e Mu ets# igs# *rogs# chic&ens# many other animals# *urry monsters +oth large and small# and e(en aliens. 9n all o* these worlds# the (ariety o* races interact as eCuals# occasionally recogni6ing the di**erences +etween their +elie*s or their cultures +ut ne(er trying to ma&e one seem +etter than another. 1Not so2 tereot#-ical Characters 9n each show# many o* the characters seem *lat and stereoty ical at *irst glance. At *irst# Kermit the 0rog a ears totally calm and rational in contrast to the o(erly)romantic and hy er) emotional Miss >iggy. ?ach o* the <mane six= onies *it a certain stereoty e with ,wilight S ar&le as the +oo&ish girl# Rain+ow Dash as the athlete# A leAac& as the cowgirl 1cow) ony82# 0luttershy as the timid careta&er# Rarity as the (ain *ashionista# and >in&ie >ie as the cra6y goo*+all. %.0's Dr. Doo*enshmirt6 also *ollows a (ery stereoty ical image o* a mad scientist with an e(er) resent white la+ coat# a hard)to) lace *oreign accent# and cra6y hair stic&ing out in all angles. Bu*ord the +ully and BalAeet the nerd# two neigh+orhood *riends o* >hineas and 0er+ also exem li*y this &ind o* stereoty ical characteri6ation. Bu*ord has a low gra(elly (oice# thic& nec&# stoc&y +uild# and usually wears a +lac& t)shirt with a s&ull on it. BalAeet on the other hand has a much smaller ersonage with an incredi+ly high (oice and is usually seen wearing stereoty ically nerdy clothing li&e his signature <high)water= denim o(eralls. Bu*ord lo(es +eating u BalAeet and BalAeet lo(es math. Bu*ord enAoys ma&ing *un o* the neigh+orhood &ids while BalAeet re*ers acting olitely and remaining Cuiet.

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3hile all o* these characters seem stereoty ical at *irst# most +rea& their stereoty ical mold in (arious ways. Kermit# the calm rational one has moments where# usually out o* *rustration# goes wild yelling and *lailing his arms# mouth aga e. Miss >iggy# the o osite o* Kermit also +rea&s the idea o* the o(er)emotional sort o* girly)girl character with extremely con*rontational side and her ro ensity to attac& anyone who o**ends her# usually with a unch and an extremely martial <4i)yahL= Some o* the Mu et (illains# li&e the cree y)loo&ing Hncle Deadly# reali6e that they seem cree y and don't want to Aust ser(e as +ad guys. 9n the mo(ie# he reali6es that he has ended u on the side o* the +ad guy again a*ter oil tycoon# ,ex Richman# starts going cra6y and then decides to wor& with the other Mu ets. Many o* the onies +rea& this mold as well. Rarity and 0luttershy er*ectly exem li*y this. Rarity# though (ain and sel*ish at *irst a earance# can generously gi(e o* hersel*# e(en cutting o** her recious tail in order to hel her *riends. 0luttershy# des ite her s&ittishness can act with intense *erosity. She has stared down a +asilis& 1a creature who can turn you to stone with its glare2# chewed out a massi(e dragon who then s&ul&ed away ashamed o* itsel*# and has e(en +een seen wrestling a +ear. Doo*enshmirt6 +rea&s his (illainous stereoty e in his relationshi with his arch)nemesis# Agent >. ,hough he does ca ture the duc&)+illed agent in nearly e(ery e isode# the two +ecome rather close. 3hen the doctor &idna s >erry# Doo* o*ten worries that his ca ti(e might get inAured +y his tra s and does his +est to ensure the sa*ety and com*ort o* the laty us. 9n another e isode# Agent > +rings Doo* a housewarming gi*t when he changes residencies. BalAeet and Bu*ord dis lay a similar non)traditional *riendshi as their relationshi de(elo s. Bu*ord o*ten ser(es as a sort o* rotector o* BalAeet who Aust ha ens to occasionally gi(e the nerd wedgies and wet)willies. 9n an e isode entitled# <Bully Bromance Brea&u = the two decide to <+rea& u = as +ully and nerd# +ut later reali6e their <*renemy=)shi means a lot to one another and they sing a goo*y lo(e song arody called <4ole in my 4eart= in which they ex ress their *riendly a**ection *or the other and then decide to ma&e u . Beyond their relationshi # the two do +rea& their molds on their own. Bu*ord# *or exam le# lo(es music and *ine art and in one e isode# when the &ids need a iccolo# they all turn to him who res onds# <.ahL One day# someoneMs gonna as& me *or some o+scure musical instrument# and it ainMt gonna +e there. 3hatMs gonna ha en then8= a*ter which he ulls a iccolo *rom his oc&et. ,his sort o* stereoty e +uilding and +rea&ing moti* *ound in these shows hel s to entertain +oth the young and old. 9t hel s the younger (iewers to *ind and identi*y good characters *rom +ad ones as well as teaching them that an easy de*inition o* <+ad= eo le may not always resent themsel(es easily. 9t also adds layers o* de th *or those who wish to a roach the show *rom a more analytical stand oint. Older (iewers will *ind the dee # layered characters more engaging and may continue to watch shows that include these ty es o* characters o(er those that do not. Adult-minded 0lements and 3eferences ?ach show uses elements that remain +eyond the sco e o* re*erence or understanding o* your a(erage child (iewer. ?ach show contains (ery sel*)re*erential elements with *reCuent *ourth)wall +rea&s. 9n the three shows characters o*ten comment on the a+surdity o* their unrealistic worlds. Occasionally the characters will loo& straight at the <camera= and address the (iewers or will re*er to the audience. Another adult)minded element is *ound in the use o* uns. %hineas and Ferb *eature uns rather hea(ily with cle(er word lay ermeating many e isodes. Many o* these Ao&es would go unnoticed to a younger (iewer# +ut would ha(e an adult

Row 8

laughing out loud. Many higher *orms o* entertainment that we thin& o* today will use uns in order to de(elo humor. ,his can +e seen throughout many o* Sha&es eare's comedies as well as in modern adult media in ,- shows li&e 45 3oc&# !he "ig "ang !heor## and Famil# Gu#. 9n addition# all the arti*acts include exam les o* <+rea&ing the *ourth wall#= when a character directly re*erences its audience or its real)li*e context. 3hen >hineas oints out the cartoonish oddities o* the world in which the characters li(e or when >in&ie >ie tal&s to the audience# causing all the other onies to wonder who she's tal&ing to# a more childish audience may not understand this &ind o* nuanced humor and this dis lays the shows' creators willingness to include humor intended *or adults. ,hese children's shows also ma&e re*erences that most children would ro+a+ly not understand. Many include guest stars who the target audience would not recogni6e. Cha&a Khan# ,ina 0ey# and ;oan Cusac& ha(e guest starred on %hineas and Ferb, most o* whom ten)year) olds would not recogni6e# much li&e Alan Ar&in# Mic&ey Rooney# and Sarah Sil(erman who cameoed in !he Mu--ets. Beyond guest)stars# these arti*acts *eature re*erences to o ular culture or other adult media. M# (ittle %on# has had se(eral music num+ers that s oo* o ular Broadway musicals such as Into the +oods, and !he Music Man. Additionally the season two *inale o* M(%:FiM draws hea(ily *rom the royal wedding +etween >rince 3illiam and Kate Middleton. !he Mu--ets and %hineas and Ferb also ma&e many re*erences in style as well as in actions to such cultural arti*acts as !he De,il +ears %rada, when the Mu ets (isit the $ogue o**ice in >aris and a snar&y British rece tionist layed +y ?mily Blunt meets themJ Friends# when Doo*enshmirt6 gets a tur&ey stuc& on his head much li&e the character ;oey# and then comments# <9t can't +e the *irst time someone's got their head stuc& in a tur&ey= 1.i)Ants2 and e(en 0reudian >sychology when >hineas and 0er+ enter her sister's mind and encounter her <9D= 1,he Monster *rom the 9D2. +idel# 0n6o#ed 0lements ,a&ing a loo& at some o* the to ,- shows today you will *ind many o* the same elements that can ma&e these three arti*acts so o ular. Shows li&e American Idol, Glee, and !he $oice all attract large adult audiences and each rominently *eature singing and e(en dance er*ormances. Music lays a huge role in each o* these three arti*acts with a large original soundtrac& in !he Mu--ets# two songs er e isode in %.F# and a wide array o* music *rom M(%. .i(en the trac& record o* other shows with a musical as ect# one can see that many eo le enAoy a good# lighthearted song and dance num+er now and again# +ut the songs in these arti*acts ser(e multi le ur oses in order to draw in as many eo le as ossi+le. ,he songs are mostly u +eat and *un with catchy melodies and redicta+le chord rogressions. ,his (ery +asic musical element along with the *un dances which accom any them draw in younger audiences# +ut this alone would li&ely +ore adults. %hineas and Ferb com+at this ro+lem with *ast) aced# incredi+ly intelligent lyrics that draw in and hold more mature attentions. ,he *ollowing excer t *rom <Rollercoaster#= shows this cle(erness. 9n this song# the neigh+orhood &ids sing while riding on an amusement ride >hineas and 0er+ ha(e created/ %hineas/ Right)side u and u side down. DonMt as& me to tal&# CanMt tell a (er+ *rom a noun# And 9Mm screaming li&e a +a+y whoMs a*raid o* a clown. "uford/ 9Mm glad 9Mm wearing trousers that are already +rownL

Row 9

3hile %.F relies on word lay and cle(er rhymes to &ee their songs attracti(e *or adults# M(%:FiM relies more on external re*erence. ,he song <Su er S eedy Cider SCuee6y F"""#= *or exam le# *eatures a tune and musical style reminiscent o* <7a .ot ,rou+le= *rom !he Music Man. ,o rein*orce this# the singers are tra(eling huc&sters much li&e !he Music Mans rotagonist and dress in a similar *ashion# donning straw +oater hats and +lue and white stri ed seersuc&er suits. !he Mu--ets com+ines the two tactics +y using creati(e lyrics at times and ma&ing cultural re*erences at others. 9t should +e noted that shows o* the Adult)*ocused Children's Media grou ing need not include musical num+er to Cuali*y as a mem+er o* the genre. ,his sim ly ser(es as an exam le o* wide)reaching elements o* entertainment. Any other rhetorical element that can simultaneously gra+ the attention o* adults while holding the attention o* children can exem li*y this characteristic. Some others wide reaching elements included in these arti*acts as well as those not examined here may include well)executed sla stic& style comedy 1 articularly where good comedic timing is in(ol(ed2# artistic creati(ity in setting and design# and engaging action and lot lines.

*rganizing %rinci-les of the Genre

A*ter examining the arti*acts# it seemed that these *i(e maAor characteristics set the three shows a art *rom other children's media +ut also connect them to one another/ $. Htili6ation o* a medium generally sa(ed *or children's entertainment !. A wide (ariety o* characters to identi*y with many di**erent (iewers 3. Seemingly stereoty ical characters who u on *urther examination +rea& the stereoty es they a ear to set *or themsel(es @. Re*erences and techniCues +eyond the *rame o* re*erence E com rehension o* a ty ical child audience 5. 0eatures or elements that audiences o* (arying ages enAoy ?ach arti*act utili6es each o* these elements to some extent +ut at the same time remain (ery di**erent# uniCue arti*acts# and though they em loy techniCues that attract adults# they retain many o* the general techniCues used in most other children's media which can ma&e distinguishing this genre more di**icult. Another rime di**erence o* this genre *rom other children's media is that the shows try to attract adults' attentions +eyond mere a ro(al o* the show *or children as *ar as to gain their consistent (iewershi .

Conclusions
,hese three exam les o* Adult)0ocused Children's Media hel to set the *ramewor& *or the genre. ,hough it the shows' audiences really set them a art *rom other children's media# their rhetorical tactics hel to create this audience and can there*ore +e used to hel de*ine them. ,he shows ha(e rhetorical im ortance as they hel us to examine what elements o* tele(ision# mo(ie and other children's media attract what &inds o* audiences. 9t also hel s to demonstrate the ower o* these rhetorical de(ices. 9* a show targeted at young girls can also attract a massi(e adult male *ollowing# e(en *orming a strong sense o* community among these indi(iduals all while not sacri*icing its in& <cuteseyness#= it is not Aust interesting# it is downright un+elie(a+le. Rhetorically# the im lementation o* the tactics o* this genre ser(e as a loy to &ee a series in syndication. ,he increased *an +ase can +ene*it the longe(ity o* a series i* adults continue to watch them# since older audiences ha(e more a+ility than children to (oice a ositi(e

Row 10

res onse to such media that would catch the attention o* ad(ertisers and com any executi(es in charge o* what media get riority o(er others. ?(idenced *or this increased longe(ity exists in the Mu ets *ranchise. ,he li&elihood o* a grou o* u ets remaining *amous *or o(er 5" years and sur(i(ing amongst the dar&er and more serious adult media may seem hard to +elie(e# let alone that it ma&es tens o* millions o* dollars in the rocess. ,hese arti*acts may at *irst glance seem rather innocent and *ri(olous# +ut u on *urther examination# one *inds that they ser(e as a sort o* cultural +arometer. ,hey re*lect what (alues we want taught to our children 1creati(ity# *riendshi # and erse(erance2 +ut also re*lect what we as adult consumers o* media want to see as well. ,he im ortance o* this genre as it continues to grow and de(elo shines through these rograms successes +oth commercially and *rom the lens o* rhetorical criticism. Rhetorical critics could use the genre to *urther examine what tactics toy or game com anies em loy to encourage arents to +uy roducts *or their children and themsel(es. 9t can a ly to ad(ertisers trying to mar&et ideas to wide audiences and could otentially exist in any mar&et in which +oth adults and children *ind in(ol(ement. ?(en on a more +asic huemanistic le(el# rograms li&e %hineas and Ferb and M# (ittle %on# allow us to see what ideas we enAoy# what Cualities we (alue# and what ideologies we want to *oster *or our *uture generations.

Row 11

3or&s Cited Barry# ;on C.# Mi&e Milo# ;e** Marsh# and Ro+ert 0. 4ughes. GMy 0air .oalie.G %hineas and Ferb. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# 9 Se t. !"$$. 3e+. Chan# May# ;enni*er Keene# Martin Olson# and Scott >eterson. GRollercoaster/ ,he Musical.G %hineas and Ferb. Dir. Dan >o(enmire and Ro+ert 0. 4uges. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# !9 ;an. !"$$. 3e+. Dennis# Scott. G>onies O(erachie(ing# *rom 0eminism to @chan.G !he Dail# "arometer. D ;une !"$$. 3e+. $9 A r. !"$!. Diedrich# Michael# and Ka6. G>icture ,his.G %hineas and Ferb. Dir. ;ay %ender and Ro+ert 0. 4ughes. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# $" 0e+. !"$!. 3e+. ?+ert# Roger. G,he Mu ets.G 3ogerebert/com. !$ 5o(. !"$$. 3e+. $9 A r. !"$!.

0oss# SonAa K. G.eneric Criticism.G 3hetorical Criticism. @th ed. %ong .ro(e# 9%/ 3a(eland# !""9. >rint. Ka6# and Kim Ro+erson. GMonster 0rom the 9D.G %hineas and Ferb. Dir. ;ay %ender. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# $" 0e+. !"$!. 3e+. %arson# M. A. GSu er S eedy Cider SCuee6y F""".G M# (ittle %on# Friendshi- Is Magic. ,he 4u+ 5etwor&. 4HB# !D ;an. !"$!. 3e+. Mathot# ;ohn# and Mi&e Milo. GBully Bromance Brea&u .G %hineas and Ferb. Dir. ;ay %ender. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# $3 A r. !"$!. 3e+. Milo# Mi&e# and Seth Kearsley. G.i)Ants.G %hineas and Ferb. Dir. Ro+ert 0. 4ughes. ,he Disney Channel. Disney# $" 0e+. !"$!. 3e+. !he Mu--ets. Dir. ;ames Bo+in. By ;ason Segel and 5icholas Stoller. >er*. ;ason and Amy Adams. 3alt Disney >ictures# !"$$. 0ilm. Segel

G,he Mu ets 1>.2.G "o'office/com. 3e+. $9 A r. !"$!. G,he Mu ets 1!"$$2.G !he Mu--ets. 3e+. $: A r. !"$!. Nhtt /EEwww.rottentomatoes.comEmE theOmu etsEP. GMy %ittle >ony 0riendshi 9s Magic Online Q ,he 4u+ 5etwor&.G M# (ittle %on# Friendshi- Is Magic *nline. ,he 4u+ 5etwor&. 3e+. $D A r. !"$!.

Row 12

Rogers# Amy K. G,he Best 5ight ?(er.G M# (ittle %on# Friendshi- Is Magic. ,he 4u+ 5etwor&. 4HB# F May !"$$. 3e+. GSha&es earean >uns.G $isual !hesaurus. ,hin&Ma . 3e+. $9 A r. !"$!. Nhtt /EE www.(oca+ulary.comEarticlesElessonsEF@!ESha&es ereanO>uns. d*P.