Tobacco and Alcohol Use in G-Rated Children's Animated Films

MEDICINE AND THE MEDIA

Tobacco and Alcohol Use in G-Rated Children’s Animated Films

Adam O. Goldstein, MD Context Tobacco and alcohol use among youth are major public health problems, Rachel A. Sobel but the extent to which children are routinely exposed to tobacco and alcohol products in children’s films is unknown. Glen R. Newman, PT Objective To identify the prevalence and characteristics associated with tobacco and LTHOUGH TOBACCO USE AMONG alcohol use portrayed in G-rated, animated feature films. US adults continues to de- Design All G-rated, animated feature films released between 1937 and 1997 by 5 cline, youth tobacco use is on major production companies (Walt Disney Co, MGM/United Artists, Warner Brothers the rise.1 Research demon- Studios, Universal Studios, and 20th Century Fox) that were available on videotape Astrating causal relationships between to- were reviewed for episodes of tobacco and alcohol use. bacco advertising and youth tobacco con- Main Outcome Measures Presence of tobacco and alcohol use in each film, type sumption has increased criticism of of tobacco or alcohol used, duration of use, type of character using substance (bad, tobacco advertising campaigns like those neutral, or good), and any associated effects. based on the popular cigarette symbols Results Of 50 films reviewed, 34 (68%) displayed at least 1 episode of tobacco or of the Marlboro Man and the cartoon alcohol use. Twenty-eight (56%) portrayed 1 or more incidences of tobacco use, in- character Joe Camel.2-4 Recent pres- cluding all 7 films released in 1996 and 1997. Twenty-five films (50%) included al- sures on tobacco companies to settle all cohol use. Smoking was portrayed on screen by 76 characters for more than 45 min- state Medicaid lawsuits has stemmed in utes in duration; alcohol use was portrayed by 63 characters for 27 minutes. Good part from tobacco companies’ market- characters use tobacco and alcohol as frequently as bad characters. Cigars and wine ing campaigns that appeal to youth. are shown in these films more often than other tobacco or alcohol substances. Moreover, cigar use has increased expo- Conclusions More than two thirds of animated children’s films feature tobacco or nentially among young adults in recent alcohol use in story plots without clear verbal messages of any negative long-term health years.5 effects associated with use of either substance. Similarly, the film industry has come JAMA. 1999;281:1131-1136 www.jama.com under attack for its continued depiction of tobacco use as sexy, hip, and METHODS Variables assessed in each film in- cool.6,7 Tobacco use continues to be a cluded presence of tobacco or alcohol staple of character development in Hol- Two trained research assistants re- use, type of tobacco or alcohol being lywood as legends such as Humphrey viewed videotapes of 50 G-rated, chil- used, total length of time (in seconds) to- Bogart, Lauren Bacall, and John Wayne dren’s animated films for the presence of bacco or alcohol use was visible on are replaced by stars like John Travolta, tobacco and alcohol use by characters. screen, number of characters using to- Julia Roberts, Winona Ryder, and Brad The films reviewed included all Walt Dis- bacco or alcohol, overall character qual- Pitt, all of whom have lit up on the big ney Co animated features from 1937 ity of user (good, bad, or neutral), and screen. through 1997, except for those cur- presence of any implied or explicit health Use of tobacco, as well as alcohol, by rently unavailable on videocassette (n = message. For coding purposes, tobacco children and adolescents are important 3), as well as all similar films released

public health concerns. Recently, 1 of us since 1982 by 4 other major animated Author Affiliations: Department of Family Medi- (A.O.G.) was surprised by the presence production companies (MGM/United cine, School of Medicine (Dr Goldstein and Ms So- of tobacco and alcohol use by charac- Artists, Warner Brothers Studios, Uni- bel), and the Department of Health Policy and Ad- ministration, School of Public Health (Mr Newman), ters in several animated children’s films. versal Studios, and 20th Century Fox). University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. To examine whether this was an iso- Films selected for review had a running Corresponding Author and Reprints: Adam O. Gold- stein, MD, Department of Family Medicine, Univer- lated phenomenon, we undertook a time of at least 60 minutes, had a pri- sity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medi- study to examine the prevalence of to- mary story line in animation, and were cine, CB 7595, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 (e-mail: [email protected]). bacco and alcohol use in children’s ani- released into theaters before distribu- Edited by Annette Flanagin, RN, MA, Associate Se- mated films. tion via videocassette. nior Editor

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and alcohol use by large groups, such as Table 1. Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Animated Children’s Feature Films in bars, was counted as only 1 use. Tobacco Alcohol Tobacco Use Total Alcohol Use Total A standardized evaluation sheet and Movie Year Use Exposure, s Use Exposure, s a handheld digital stopwatch were used Walt Disney Co for data measurement and collection dur- Snow White and the 1937 No No Seven Dwarfs ing the review of each feature. Review- Pinocchio* 1940 Yes† 223 Yes 80 ers examined film sequences with ob- served tobacco or alcohol use several Fantasia 1940 No No times to ensure accuracy. The data were Dumbo 1941 Yes† 176 Yes‡ 88 entered into Microsoft Excel, Version 5.0 Bambi 1942 No No (Microsoft Corp, Redmond, Wash), and The Three Caballeros 1945 Yes 548 Yes 8 analyzed with descriptive and x2 statis- Fun and Fancy Free 1947 No Yes‡ 4 tics using Epi Info, Version 6.02 (Cen- Cinderella 1950 Yes 37 No ters for Disease Control and Preven- Alice in Wonderland 1951 Yes† 158 No tion, Atlanta, Ga). Peter Pan 1953 Yes 51 Yes‡ 33 Lady and the Tramp 1955 No No RESULTS Sleeping Beauty 1959 No Yes‡ 113 Tobacco or alcohol was used by at least 101 Dalmatians* 1961 Yes† 299 Yes 51 1 character in 34 (68%) of the 50 ani- The Sword and the Stone 1963 Yes† 37 Yes 20 mated movies (TABLE 1). Tobacco use The Jungle Book 1967 No No was portrayed in 28 films (56%), including all 7 animated movies released in The Aristocats 1970 Yes 11 Yes‡ 142 1996 and 1997. Seventeen of 33 Dis- Robin Hood 1973 No Yes‡ 39 ney animated movies featured tobacco The Rescuers 1977 No No use compared with 11 of 17 films by The Many Adventures of 1977 No No other production companies. Disney Winnie the Pooh films made since 1964, when the first sur- The Fox and the Hound 1981 No No geon general’s report on tobacco use was The Black Cauldron 1985 No Yes 34 published, had similar instances of to- The Great Mouse 1986 Yes† 165 Yes 414 Detective bacco use than those made before 1964 (8 vs 9, P = .58). Oliver and Company 1988 Yes† 74 No Tobacco was used by at least 76 char- The Little Mermaid 1989 Yes 9 No acters for a total exposure time of more The Rescuers Down Under 1990 No Yes 76 than 45 minutes in duration, or an av- Beauty and the Beast 1991 No Yes 123 erage of 97 seconds (range, 1-548 sec- Aladdin 1992 Yes 2 Yes 3 onds) per movie that depicted smoking The Lion King 1994 No No as part of the plot or as a character trait. Pocahontas 1995 Yes 6 Yes 7 In films with tobacco use, an average of Toy Story 1995 No No 2.7 characters (range, 1-10) per film used The Hunchback of 1996 Yes 23 Yes 46 tobacco (TABLE 2). Cigars were the pre- Notre Dame* ferred tobacco used by 45 characters James and the Giant Peach* 1996 Yes† 206 Yes 38 (59%), cigarettes by 16 (21%), and pipes Hercules 1997 Yes 9 Yes 13 by 15 (20%). Twenty-eight of the 76 MGM/United Artists characters who used tobacco were clas- The Secret of NIMH 1982 No No sified as good. Surprisingly, in 14 of the All Dogs Go to Heaven* 1989 Yes† 205 Yes 73 17 Disney films with tobacco use, at least All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 1995 Yes† 162 Yes 72 1 of the smoking characters was classi- Babes in Toyland 1995 No No fied as a good character, and 22 (49%) Warner Brothers Studios of the Disney characters using tobacco Thumbelina 1994 Yes 6 Yes 5 products were classified as good. Com- The Troll in Central Park 1994 Yes 1 No pared with Disney films, only 3 of 11 Space Jam 1996 Yes 117 No other films with tobacco use portrayed Pippi Longstocking 1997 Yes 5 No even 1 good character smoking (P = .008) Cats Don’t Dance 1997 Yes 91 No and these characters represented only (continued) 19% (n = 6) of all characters using to-

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bacco products (Table 2). In the last 13 Table 1. Tobacco and Alcohol Use in Animated Children’s Feature Films (cont) animated movies released since 1992 that Tobacco Alcohol portrayed tobacco use, almost twice as Tobacco Use Total Alcohol Use Total many characters using tobacco were clas- Movie Year Use Exposure, s Use Exposure, s sified as good vs bad (12 vs 7 charac- Universal Studios ters) and in the 7 films released in 1996 An American Tail* 1987 Yes† 155 Yes‡ 74 and 1997, 10 of 17 characters using to- The Land Before Time 1988 No No Fievel Goes West 1991 Yes 24 Yes 28 bacco were good characters. We’re Back: A Dinosaur 1993 Yes 55 No The use of alcohol was portrayed in Story 25 (50%) of 50 films for a total dura- The Land Before Time 2 1994 No No tion of 27 minutes (Table 1). Alcohol was Balto 1995 No No used by at least 62 characters, averag- 20th Century Fox ing 2.5 characters (range, 1-6 charac- Once Upon a Forest 1993 No No ters) per film who depicted alcohol use Anastasia 1997 Yes 17 Yes 39 ABLE *Tobacco and alcohol use are shown together. (T 3). Alcohol use was portrayed in †Character coughs, sneezes, or displays other physical manifestation of use, but no verbal message is included de- 19 of 33 Disney animated films com- picting negative health consequences of tobacco use. ‡Character appears drunk (eg, hiccups, loses balance, or passes out), but no verbal message is included depicting pared with 6 of 17 films made by the potential negative health consequences of alcohol use. other production companies (P = .14). Characters who consumed alcohol most frequently consumed wine (n = 37; 60%), Table 2. Tobacco Use by Character and Type in Animated Children’s Feature Films followed by beer (n = 20; 32%), spirits Type of Character (n = 3; 5%), and champagne (n = 2; 3%). Movie Characters Tobacco Quality Walt Disney Co Twenty-four characters using alco- Pinocchio Geppetto Pipe Good hol products in animated film were clas- Fox Cigar Bad sified as good characters, similar to the Pinocchio Cigar Good number of bad characters. In 19 of 25 Lampwit Cigar Bad films in which alcohol use was por- Gideon Cigar Neutral trayed, tobacco use by characters was also Crowd Cigars Neutral portrayed (PϽ.005). In 6 instances, char- Coachman Pipe Bad acters used tobacco and alcohol prod- Sidekick Cigar Bad ucts at the same time. Entranceman Cigar Neutral Effects of tobacco use or exposure in Tobacco Row Cigars Neutral 10 films included instances in which a Dumbo Crow Cigar Good character becomes woozy when inhal- The Three Caballeros Jose Carioca Cigar Good ing too deeply or a nonsmoking charac- Arcuan bird Cigar Neutral ter coughs when smoke by a tobacco user Man at fair Pipe Neutral is exhaled in their face. Seven of the 50 Cinderella King Cigar Good films depicted effects of alcohol use, such Grand Duke Cigar Good as instances in which a character using Alice in Wonderland Dodo Pipe Neutral alcohol gets drunk, passes out, hic- Walrus Cigar Neutral cups, loses balance, or falls over. None Caterpillar Hookah (water pipe) Neutral of the films addressed the long-term Peter Pan Captain Hook Cigars Bad Indian Chief Pipe Good health consequences of tobacco or alco- Peter Pan Pipe Good hol addiction, and there were no verbal Jon Pipe Good messages depicting any negative health 101 Dalmatians Roger Pipe Good consequences of tobacco or alcohol use. Cruella De Vil Cigarette Bad COMMENT Jasper Cigar Bad The Sword and the Stone Merlin Pipe Good Animated children’s films are seen by mil- The Aristocats Edgar Cigars Bad lions of children and adults, and many are The Great Mouse Ratigan Cigarette Bad some of the most popular movies ever Detective Mouse Cigar Bad made (9 of the top 100 grossing US box Basil Cigarette and pipe Good 8 office films are animated films). Films Holmes Pipe Good made by Disney and other animated fea- Bar scene Cigars and cigarettes Neutral tures are often termed masterpiece classics (continued)

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Our study demonstrates that more than Table 2. Tobacco Use by Character and Type in Animated Children’s Feature Films (cont) two thirds of the G-rated animated films Type of Character Movie Characters Tobacco Quality we reviewed depict at least 1 character us- Oliver and Company Vendor Cigar Neutral ing tobacco or alcohol, and for a dura- Sykes Cigar Bad tion that we did not expect. An almost Tito Cigar Good equal number of films portray the con- The Little Mermaid Butler Pipe Good sumption of alcoholic beverages. Fre- Aladdin Genie Cigarette Good quently, more than 1 character per film Pocahontas Thomas’ father Pipe Good is using each substance and, in most cases, The Hunchback of Esmeralda and goat Pipe Good it is just as likely that a good character is Notre Dame Gargoyle (male) Cigar Good using the substance as a bad or neutral Gargoyle (female) Cigar Good character. The depiction of tobacco and James and the Centipede Cigar Good alcohol products in animated films is not Giant Peach Ms Spider Cigarette Good limited to a single production company Hercules Hades Cigar Bad and depictions are no less frequent now MGM/United Artists than in previous decades. All Dogs Go to Heaven Carface Cigar Bad Previous researchers have examined Announcer Cigar Neutral tobacco use in popular nonanimated Bar crowd Cigars and cigarettes Neutral films.6,11-14 An analysis of popular non- Shadow dog Cigarette Bad animated films made from 1960 through Killer Cigar Bad 1996 found that the rate of tobacco use Reginald Cigarette Neutral by characters remains high and, more of- Jockey Cigarette Neutral ten than not, tobacco use is positively All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 Carface Cigar Bad portrayed.6,14 Other research found that Bar crowd Cigars Neutral of 18 popular nonanimated films re- Warner Brothers Studios Thumbelina Two adult beetles Cigarettes Neutral viewed in 1997, 17 portrayed charac- 11 The Troll in Central Park Woman in restaurant Cigarette Neutral ters using tobacco products. In Cali- Space Jam Amusement park Cigar Bad fornia, teenagers reviewed 133 manager contemporary movies, finding tobacco Park ride Cigar Neutral use in 77% of films, including charac- Pippi Longstocking Man on boat Pipe Good ters smoking cigars in 52% of movies.12 Burglar Cigarette Bad Antitobacco statements were made in Cats Don’t Dance Mr Wink Cigar Neutral 33% of nonanimated films.12 No such Danny Cigar Good statements were included in any of the Francis (fish) Cigarette Good animated films we reviewed. L. B. Namath Cigar Good Tobacco and alcohol products in chil- W. C. Fields Cigar Good dren’s animated films appear to be used Universal Studios An American Tail Don Tablioni Cigar Neutral most often to stereotype a character Man on boat Cigar Neutral and/or create instant recognition for a Warren T. Rat Cigar Bad character’s personality type. The to- Mean Boss Rat Cigar Bad bacco use includes characters ranging Cats in gang Cigar Bad from dogs to caterpillars to people. Ci- Honest John Cigar Good gars are the tobacco product most often Fievel Goes West City cats Cigar Bad portrayed in the films. Cigars are used Western cats Cigar Bad to represent a range of characters, from We’re Back: A Dinosaur Story Professor Screweyes Cigarette Bad the well to-do to the working man, and 20th Century Fox to indicate money, power, and/or suc- Anastasia Woman Cigarette Neutral cess for the sinister characters or street Group of sailors Cigarettes Neutral life for the lower-class characters.9 For instance, in the Disney film Oliver and and rereleased in theaters and on video- that many animated films influence the Company, Sykes (a cigar smoker) is de- cassette, making almost all animated films children who watch them.9,10 Indeed, scribed as a villain “rather out of the or- available to children on a continuing basis. many children acquire these videos and dinary...asolid, powerful guy.”9 Pipes Animation experts classify animated films watch them multiple times, often memo- often represent a wiser, sweeter, or older as “children’s fodder,” and experts agree rizing songs, characters, scenes, and lines. character, while cigarettes are reserved

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for truly independent, often “sexy” char- Table 3. Alcohol Use by Character and Type in Animated Children’s Feature Films acters, such as the comic villain Cruella Type of Character De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, who is also “er- Movie Characters Alcohol Quality ratic, eccentric, and violent” or Basil in Walt Disney Co The Great Mouse Detective, who is “lumi- Pinocchio Pinocchio Beer Good nously intelligent...quick-witted, [and] Lampwit Beer Bad fearless in adversity.”9 Stromboli Wine Bad Why are these unhealthy behaviors re- Honest John Beer Bad peatedly portrayed in films targeted at mil- Gideon Beer Neutral lions of young children? While it is clear Sidekick Beer Bad that many of the current top grossing no- Dumbo Clowns Wine and beer Neutral nanimated films contain lead characters Dumbo Wine Good using tobacco or alcohol, often attempt- Mouse Wine Good ing to create an “edgy” feeling that is “dark The Three Caballeros Penguin Champagne Good and dangerous,” such as in the popular Fun and Fancy Free Jiminy Cricket Spirits Good 10 youth-oriented film Romeo and Juliet, it Peter Pan Smee Wine Bad is unclear why animated film producers Sleeping Beauty King Hubert Wine Good include characters using these sub- King Stefan Wine Good stances. Such use is not confined to ani- Sleeping Beauty Servant Wine Neutral mated films, as the use of tobacco or al- 101 Dalmatians Jasper Beer Bad cohol in film carries over into print sources. Horace Beer Bad For instance, official animated children’s The Sword and the Stone Master Wine Neutral books also have characters portrayed with Messenger Wine Neutral tobacco and alcohol products in the pages The Aristocats Edgar Wine Bad of the book, similar to their roles in their Uncle Waldo Wine Good respective animated movies. Man in cafe Wine Neutral We can speculate that there is a cer- Robin Hood Snake Beer Bad tain amount of character development Prince John Wine Bad that is associated with tobacco or alco- The Black Cauldron Castle party Beer and wine Bad hol use and that some stories are at- Ghoul Wine Bad tempting to be historically and cultur- King Wine Bad ally correct.10 Some film experts believe The Great Mouse Ratigan Wine Bad that animated film producers associate Detective tobacco or alcohol use with certain char- Bartholomew Wine Good acter traits that would otherwise re- Basil Beer Good quire violence or language not suitable Thugs Beer and wine Bad for a G-rated film (Kathy Jackson, PhD, Dr Dawson Beer Good written communication, July 13, 1998). Bar scene Beer Neutral Alternatively, the personal tobacco and The Rescuers Down Under Ms Bianca Wine Good alcohol use behaviors of the production Bernard Wine Good staff may reinforce a culture of tobacco Beauty and the Beast Gaston Beer Bad and alcohol use in animated film that Bar patrons Beer Bad, neutral continues without much forethought. Belle Wine Good There is also evidence that the tobacco Beast Wine Good industry itself previously influenced the Aladdin Jafar Wine Bad makers of children’s films to include to- Pocahontas Captain Smith’s crew Beer Good bacco products and behaviors in such Governor Ratcliffe Wine Bad films for negotiated fees.15,16 Several mak- The Hunchback of Frollo Wine Bad ers of animated films, including Disney Notre Dame Quasimodo Wine Good and Warner Brothers, have policies Crowd Wine Neutral against allowing advertising to be shown Gargoyle Wine Good before their movies. Ironically, these poli- James and the Centipede Wine Good cies have been used to prohibit the play- Giant Peach Aunt Spiker Wine Bad ing of antismoking advertisements cre- Aunt Sponge Wine Bad ated by tobacco control organizations.17 (continued)

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bacco and alcohol use in children’s ani- Table 3. Alcohol Use by Character and Type in Animated Children’s Feature Films (cont) mated movies. Character development Character Movie Characters Type of Alcohol Quality in animated children’s movies can clearly Hercules Hades Spirit Bad proceed without including symbols (to- Pain Beer Bad bacco and alcohol) that are addictive and Olympus god 1 Wine Good associated with major preventable causes Olympus god 2 Wine Good of death in our society. In light of the MGM/United Artists health consequences of tobacco use and All Dogs Go to Heaven Dogs in bar Beer and spirits Neutral alcohol abuse, the makers of all chil- Charlie Beer Good dren’s animated films should eliminate All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 Charlie Beer Good the use of tobacco and alcohol by char- Bar crowd Beer and spirits Neutral acters in their scripts. Warner Brothers Studios Thumbelina Beetle bar Wine Neutral Acknowledgment: We thank Donald Pathman, MD, MGM/United Artists MPH, for his advice and review of the manuscript. An American Tail Honest John Spirits Good Fievel Goes West Bar Cat Wine and beer Bad 20th Century Fox REFERENCES Anastasia Ball guests Wine Neutral 1. Preventing Tobacco Use Among Young People: A Dimitri Wine and champagne Good Report of the Surgeon General. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1994. 2. Fischer PM, Schwartz MP, Richards JW, Goldstein While it may be argued that the harm- bal messages in any of the films depict- AO, Rojas TH. Brand logo recognition by children aged 3 to 6 years: Mickey Mouse and Old Joe the Camel. ful effects of tobacco were unknown ing the negative health consequences of JAMA. 1991;266:3145-3148. throughout the 1940s and 1950s, when tobacco use and alcohol abuse, even in 3. Pierce JP, Gilpin E, Burns DM, et al. Does tobacco many of the early Disney movies were cases where a bad character uses alco- advertising target young people to start smoking? evidence from California. JAMA. 1991;266:3154-3158. made (and Walt Disney himself was a hol or tobacco, it is unclear whether chil- 4. DiFranza JR, Richards JW, Paulman PM, et al. RJR smoker whose death has been attributed dren perceive substance use in this in- Nabisco’s cartoon camel promotes Camel cigarettes 18 to children. JAMA. 1991;266:3149-3153. in part to lung cancer ), the depiction of stance as negative or whether it reinforces 5. Cigars, Health Effects and Trends. Bethesda, Md: tobacco use has not decreased in recent tobacco and alcohol use by associating National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health; 1998. NIH publication 98-4302. animated films and no changes have been it with being rebellious and indepen- 6. Klein R. After the preaching, the lure of the ta- made in movies that have been rereleased. dent—characteristics highly appealing to boo. New York Times. August 24, 1997;sect 2:1, 31. 1,3,4 7. Hazan AR, Lipton HL, Glantz SA. Popular films do Ironically, in 1996 and 1997, when con- youth. Because the portrayal of to- not reflect current tobacco use. Am J Public Health. cern about tobacco use by adolescents was bacco use in animated films is also cor- 1994;84:998-1000. at an all-time high in the popular press and related with the portrayal of alcohol use, 8. The International Movie Database: the top grossing movies of all time at the international (non-USA) political circles and numerous bills were children are clearly seeing positive im- box office. Available at: http://us.imdb.com/Charts introduced in the US Congress intending ages of addictive substances that their /intltopmovies. Updated July 7, 1998. 9. Grant J. Encyclopedia of Walt Disney’s Animated to curb adolescent tobacco use, all released parents, teachers, and society all dis- Characters. New York, NY: Hyperion; 1998. animated feature films incorporated smok- courage. 10. DeWolf R. Mulan is latest in a long line of Dis- ney films to be slammed for its messages. Raleigh News ing by 1 or more characters, the majority Others have criticized the makers of and Observer. July 13, 1998:C1, C3. of whom were good. animated films for making too many 11. Thomas K. No waiting to inhale: cigarettes light up The impact of exposure at an early age scenes and story lines that are violent or the movies. USA Today. February 28, 1997. Available at: http://www.usatoday.com/life/enter/movies 10 to tobacco or alcohol use in animated have sexual innuendos. The percep- /lef450.htm. films is beyond the scope of this study, tion of sexual impropriety recently led 12. American Lung Association of Sacramento– Emigrant Trails, Calif. Thumbs Up! Thumbs Down! but the success of cartoon-based cam- Disney to recall 3.4 million videocas- Available at: http://www.lungusa.org. paigns such as Joe Camel may shed in- sette copies of the animated movie The 13. McIntosh WD, Bazzini DG, Smith SM, Wayne SM. Who smokes in Hollywood? characteristics of smok- sight on the potential impact of tobacco Rescuers after employees discovered a ers in popular films from 1940 to 1989. Addict Be- use by film cartoon characters on youth.2,4 photographic image of a nude woman hav. 1998;23:395-398. 19 14. Stockwell TF, Glantz SA. Tobacco use is increas- Tens of millions of very young children embedded in the tape. A spokes- ing in popular films. Tob Control. 1997;6:282-284. and adolescents are clearly being ex- woman for Disney stated that the ratio- 15. “Muppet Movie” cigars weren’t just props. Ra- posed to a positive portrayal of tobacco nale for recalling the videos was “to keep leigh News and Observer. March 21, 1998:A8. 16. Lackey W. Can Lois Lane smoke Marlboros? Uni- and alcohol use in animated films, much our promise to families that [they] can versity of Chicago Legal Forum. 1993:275-292. as it is portrayed in nonanimated films.7,13 trust and rely on the Disney brand to pro- 17. Parker-Pope T. Push against smoking opens on silver screen. Wall Street Journal. May 19, 1997:B1. At a minimum, it is likely that children vide the finest in family entertain- 18. Tobacco BBS Home Page. A few of our losses.... see and notice the use of tobacco and al- ment.”19 Available at: http://www.tobacco.org. 19. White M. Disney recalls “The Rescuers” video. cohol products by cartoon characters in There is no excuse for exposing chil- Associated Press; January 9, 1999. Available at: http:// animated film. Because there are no ver- dren, especially the very young, to to- wire.ap.org/?frontid=home&site=ncchn.

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