Exploring the Relationship Between Pre-School-Aged Animated

Home , Clarabelle Cow, Mickey Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Journal of Applied Communications

Volume 99 | Issue 4 Article 9

Exploring the Relationship Between Pre-School- aged Animated Television and Agriculture: A Content Analysis of Disney Junior's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Cassaundra Dietrich

Emily Buck

Annie Specht

Follow this and additional works at: http://newprairiepress.org/jac

Recommended Citation Dietrich, Cassaundra; Buck, Emily; and Specht, Annie (2015) "Exploring the Relationship Between Pre-School-aged Animated Television and Agriculture: A Content Analysis of Disney Junior's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," Journal of Applied Communications: Vol. 99: Iss. 4. https://doi.org/10.4148/1051-0834.1065

This Research is brought to you for free and open access by New Prairie Press. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Applied Communications by an authorized administrator of New Prairie Press. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Exploring the Relationship Between Pre-School-aged Animated Television and Agriculture: A Content Analysis of Disney Junior's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Abstract Understanding how modern preschool television series are framing agriculture can help agricultural communicators and educators gain insight into what schemata preschoolers have developed about agriculture prior to participation in formal education and non-formal youth programming (such as 4-H). Framing theory and schema theory play a role in a developing child’s absorption and interpretation of television programming content. Considering the potential implications of television consumption by preschoolers, this study aims to use summative content analysis methods to examine how agriculture is framed in current preschool-aged animated television programming. This analysis reviewed two iTunes collections of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, each of which contained five episodes of the show. The two iTunes collections selected — “Mickey and Donald Have a Farm” and “Mickey’s Farm Fun-Fair!” — were chosen because of their farm- centric themes. While content analysis revealed Mickey Mouse Clubhouse does frame agriculture in a positive context, it also uncovered a lack of depth in regard to educational lessons related to production agriculture. Additionally, several inaccuracies and improbable scenarios regarding production livestock, farm machinery and crops were discovered.

Keywords Preschool, television, agriculture, Disney, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, farm, framing theory, schema, animation, cartoons, Association for Communication Excellence Conference

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 License.

This research is available in Journal of Applied Communications: http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research Conference inCharleston,Conference South Carolina. Excellence waspresented Communication (ACE) thismanuscript atthe2015Association for A version of in 2014, compared with147hourspermonth in 2013(Luckerson, 2014). continues toshrink, withtheaverage person about 141hoursoflive permonth watching television as only”“broadband theprevious year (Luckerson, 2014). oftraditional viewing also Overall TV is equivalenttoapproximately 2.8%oftotalU.S. households, more than doublethe1.1%categorized only,” don’t meaning they up a broadcast signal (Nielsen, or pick to cable subscribe 2014). That figure programmingtelevision (Nielsen, 2014). Infact, about2.6million householdsare now “broadband traditional andlesstimewatching streaming andviewing services hours surfingtheInternet trendcontinued in2014(Nielsen, on adeclining 2014). Nielsen individuals spentmore reported America’s isstill pastime, entertainment favorite (TV) numbers television viewership overall While Introduction animation, andcartoons Preschool, television, agriculture, Disney, MouseClubhouse, Mickey Key Words discovered. were andcrops machinery agriculture. Additionally, several inaccuracies regarding andimprobable scenarios production livestock, farm in apositive context, depthinregard of to alack lessonsrelated italsouncovered educational to production themes.farm-centric contentWhile analysisrevealed — andDonaldHave“Mickey aFarm” and “Mickey’s Farm Fun-Fair!” chosen becausetheir —were of episodes theshow. of Mouse Clubhouse, which each of contained iTunes five The two collections selected preschool-aged animated television programming. iTunes two Mickey collections of This analysisreviewed incurrent aimstostudy usesummative isframed content analysismethods to agriculture how examine programming content. the potential Considering television implications of consumption by preschoolers, this television andinterpretation of play arole inadeveloping child’s absorption andschema theory theory youth programming(such andnon-formal to education as4-H).prior participation informal Framing communicators andeducators gain insightinto whatschemata preschoolers have developed about agriculture help can agricultural agriculture Understanding preschool modern how framing television are series Clubhouse Mickey Mouse DisneyJunior’s of Agriculture:and AContentAnalysis Preschool-aged AnimatedTelevision Exploring theRelationship Between Abstract As the television media industry works to slow the decline in overall viewership, in overall works toslow thedecline mediaindustry As thetelevision executives Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Cassaundra Dietrich, EmilyBuck, and Annie Specht does frame agriculture agriculture MouseClubhouse doesMickey frame Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 104 farm, theory, framing schema, 1 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research (Urban Child Institute, 2014). Neurologically, from conception toage 3, achild’s undergoes brain age of 6 are considered impressionable, to be highly taking in their surroundings at astounding rates asanexceptionseeing thisinformation totheschematic, andtherefore ‘normative’ rule” (1994, p. 268). through theprocesses ofdistorting, notnoticing, orby information anddiscountingcontradictory Cognitive Therapy, “Once formed, evidence are schemas maintainedintheface ofcontradictory them to fit. as exceptionsschema ordistorting According to Padesky, of co-founder The Center for tonoticethingsthatfitmore intotheirschema, likely whilere-interpreting contradictions tothe knowledge; ofnew alsoinfluence attention toandtheabsorption Schemata studiesshow peopleare derstand themselves, thebehaviorofothers, intheworld” andevents (Simpson, etal., 2013, p.17). interpret, and predict the world. that Most help people them haveto better un- schemas developed grow. asthey perceiving information new function asfilters through“Schemas peopleorder, which & Zhu, 2012). states that, theory Schema cognitively, of organizing and a system humans develop tures of preconceived ideas, representing aframework (Zhao construct which aspects of the world activities. ineducational toparticipation agriculture prior areascognitive struc described Schemata preschoolers gain insight into what schemata havecommunicators about and educators developed helpagricultural are agriculture can Evaluating how preschool series framing modern television Theoretical Framework life,rural cartoons. are aboutagriculture from learning theireveryday and othermedia. Therefore, tounderstandwhatchildren, itisimportant distancedfrom and farm through books, ofchildren aboutagriculture solely learning has resulted inavastmajority television Agriculture, 2014). This generational retreat communities populations from tourban andfarms rural in theU.S. from more hasdeclined than30%in1914toless2%2014(U.S. of Department Environmental Protection Agency, 2013). Inaddition, thepercentage aliving for ofpeoplefarming 2010). ofU.S.The ratio toU.S. citizens isapproximately farms 142:1, compared to18:1in1935(U.S. experiences. Today, more than80%oftheU.S. population area lives inanurban (U.S. CensusBureau, common andreal threat aspeoplebecome more andmore removed from backgrounds farming and administrators infilling gapsorcorrecting inaccuracies. Inagriculture, consumer isa misinformation andprogram beusefultoeducators can are intheirschemata andhow learning itisabsorbed the content of these animated series. to evaluate is important Understanding what preschoolers to 5years, Nickelodeon Junior, including Kids, PBS Sprout, Junior(Yahr, andDisney 2012). aged viewers 2 resulted for inthecreation specifically networks ofanumber television dedicated 2003). has This explosion useby oftelevision young ofthe21stcentury children sincethestart change channels; videosorDVDs theirfavorite and71%askfor (Rideout, Vandewater and Wartella, themselves; videos; theirfavorite 71%askfor shows; particular 67%askfor 62%usetheremote to FamilyKaiser Foundation among found children aged 0 to 6 approximately on 77% turn the byTV thestatisticeightyears (Gutnick,began tracking prior etal., 2011). J. A2003studyby theHenry toanaverage of3.5hoursaday,preschoolers climbed highsincetheSesame Workshop anall-time byA report Workshop theJoanGanzCooney CenteratSesame consumption television found by spend more timewiththismediumthanany other” (Gutnick, Robb, Takeuchi, &Kotler, 2011, p.7). and streaming are limited, astrong continues“television toexert holdover young children, who streaming. market Onesuch ispreschool-aged children. withmobilemedia theircapabilities Because are audienceswhoremain looking tonew loyal despiteaccess totelevision tomobilemediaand Developmentally, from schema are humansconstruct thetimethey born. Children underthe mediaplacinganemphasis television such on programming, preschool-oriented With it Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 105 - 2 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research related toagriculture, farming, production orthelike. livestock The iTunes search results included the contentfor analysis, the researchers searched iTunes to find episodesthat contained content MouseClubhouseMickey were chosen. would network beused which andseries determining After to themed this collections,study by having farm-centric and Junior channel the 24-hour Disney Guide,produced (TV 2015). JuniorMediaNet,(Disney 2014). Currently, 116episodesof 2014). aweek days inmultipleThe Emmy-award airsseveral timeslotsperday nominated series MouseClubhouseMickey million households(McTeague, 2013). aired Oftheseries on Juniorchannel, the24-hourDisney million U.S. homes (McTeague, 2013). Internationally, its reach and 393 extends to 140 countries & McTeague,49 (91,000) (Lord 2014). Junior programming Disney is available in more than 98 aged 2 to 5 (122,000) as well as No. month women straight for the seventeenth 1 for aged 18 to tobetheNo.also reported month girls network thesixteenthstraight for 1preschool-dedicated for & McTeague,boys month aged the nineteenth straight (Lord 2 to 2 (122,000) for 2014). It was networks (494,000), preschool-dedicated intotalviewers 1 for children aged 2to5(243,000), and were considered. InOctober2014, atNo. Juniorchannel national putthe24-hourDisney ratings network. andnetwork, series thetelevision Inchoosing ratings, numbersandaccessibility viewership For ofthisstudy, thepurpose wassampledfrom on one oneseries television contentanalysis for Methodology MouseClubhouse.program Mickey by This studywasdriven research thefollowing objectives: Junior’s theuseofagriculture inDisney ofthisstudywastoevaluate The purpose animatedtelevision Purpose &ResearchObjectives andextracurriculars. inschool toparticipation prior abouttheindustry formed young better anticipate the schema can children communicators have and educators agricultural 1999). ofagriculture inpreschool programming, Bygaininginsightintotheframing television audience whattothink about, given subjectorcontent (Scheufele, butalsohow tothinkabout the are thoughttoinfluenceanaudience’sthat information. Frames perception by the telling notonly suggestswhich how something ispresented influenceshow toanaudience(theframe) peopleprocess are agriculture. series framing television Framing refers to masscommunication’s theory, framing tounderstandhow children’s communicators modern andeducators agricultural for it isimportant in thefirst three responsive years input(Li&Sheng, especially toexternal makesthebrain 2003). have asitwill inadulthood asmany (Li&Sheng,has twice synapses 2003). This excess ofsynapses 80 percent ofitsadult volume (Urban ChildInstitute, 2014). Additionally, from age 2or3, thebrain haveever (UrbanChildInstitute, 2014). inthefirst year, Itdoublesinsize andby age 3ithasreached an impressive amountofchange. At birth, already thebrain containsoftheneurons almostall itwill Due totheirpopularity,Due aswell astheirrelevance andaccessibility consistent ratings viewership 2. 1. ofimpressionability inpreschoolers, and thelevel ofschema construction therapid Considering

themed collections. MouseClubhouse agriculture initsfarm-centric theway Mickey frames inwhich Describe Have aFarm” and Farm“Mickey’s Fun-Fair!” or thelikein thenumberofvisualreferences made toagriculture,Quantify farming, production livestock Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Mickey MouseClubhouseMickey ’s themedcollections, farm-centric andDonald “Mickey ranks first in total viewership for children aged 2 to 5 (Lord &McTeague, first children ranks for aged intotalviewership 2to5(Lord Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 106 Mickey MouseClubhouseMickey have been 3 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research series that presentsseries audiencesstimulating builtaround challenges athemeoftheday: Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Goofy, DaisyandDonald) aswell asothercharacters, isalearning-focused shows, how on agriculture is framed one Junior’sThis study is aimedto evaluate ofDisney mostpopular Findings List ofEpisodes, Aired, Season andAirDate Table 1 inthetwo collections are listedin included Table 1. The collectionswere purchased anddownloaded viaiTunes useinthestudy. for The tenepisodes identified inthesearch were andDonald Have aFarm”“Mickey and Farm“Mickey’s Fun-Fair!” a viewer, analbumofmusic thanasinglesong. similartobuying rather The two episodecollections may befrom seasons oftheshow, various buthave beengathered intoa “one-download” packagefor case, five eachcollection) thatshare for related appearances. themesand/orcharacter The episodes themes.two episodecollections withfarm-centric An iTunes collection isagroup ofepisodes(inthis content analysis was used to quantify how often Disney Junior’s Disney wasusedtoquantifyhow often content analysis meaningbut,to infer rather, toexplore usage (Hsieh&Shannon, 2005). Inthisstudy, summative of understandingthecontextual useofthewords orcontent. This quantification isanattempt not words certain orcontent withthepurpose andquantifying withidentifying starts content analysis study objectives. compared codingandnotesusedqualitative measures thecontent andfulfill toevaluate the researchers toensure conducted reliability. coderchecks 10episodes, all viewing After theresearchers relevant tothisstudywere alsologged andcoded. Throughout thecontent analysis, thepairof understoodthem.personally Finally, any stereotypes, misinformation, orothercontextual uses andcodedtheplot,summarized characters, setting, references, ofagricultural andframing asthey agriculture, farming, production orthelike. livestock Inaddition, eachepisode, for theresearchers content related toagriculture andhow thatcontent wasframed. The GoGetters Goofy’s Thinking Cap Goofy’s Thinking Mickey’s BigJob Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Carnival Mickey’s Farm Fun-Fair! Donald anEgg Hatches Goofy theHomemaker Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Moosical Goofy’s Petting Zoo Mickey andDonald Have aFarmMickey Episode Name Through adynamic, them through locations, play-along thattransports experience young A summative content analysis researchA summative designwasusedtocomplete content thestudy. analysis Summative Two researchers eachepisodeclosely, watched andcodingvisualreferences quantifying made to Mickey MouseClubhouse.Mickey Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 The show, Mouse, (Mickey Six features which theSensational Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 107 Mickey MouseClubhouseMickey Season 3 Season Season 3 Season Season 2 Season Season 2 Season Season 4 Season Season 3 Season Season 2 Season Season 2 Season Season 1 Season Season 4 Season Season 09/26/2011 03/09/2012 06/23/2008 05/10/2008 08/16/2013 07/13/2012 01/26/2008 02/21/2009 03/09/2007 11/05/2012 Air Date presented 4 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research “Hot Dog!”“Hot song. return theanimalsto theirhomes attheClubhouse Farm andreturn to theClubhouse tosingthe Mousketool, a fishing pole, her out of the swing. to pull To end the episode, Six the Sensational upon thehill,Looking Goofysees “Mrs. Cow” swingingin atire swing. The group uses another the animalsintheirwagon, thelastones are realize tobefound the cows. andhisfriends Mickey down the egg chutes. to come outof hiding. also sing asongThey to enticethe chickens Counting to theground. The group moves on, coopandhelpingthemtoslide finding thepigsinchicken onbarn theweathervane. Using ablimpsuitfrom theMousketools, thehorseisabletofloat down beheard,can butnotseen. up, Looking thegroup thehorseisbalancedatop the Clubhouse realizes andapoppity-pop,tractor likestoplanttheseedsandwithaclickety-clack thingsbegintogrow.” grow theirvegetables, thegroup sings, “Growing lotsoffun. vegetables onisalways thefarm Our intocarrots andlettucewhenwatered. turn plantsseedsthat immediately Mickey plantand Asthey lettuce andcarrots tolure totheClubhouse theanimalsback Farm. tractor, Using theclickety-clack down, andhispalsgo about finding Mickey themissingfarmyard animals. decidetoplant They of thewind. thewindwasaproduct determining ofPeg-Leg After Pete’s and shutting it windmill that happens, we won’t have any food.” The group along tofind gatherstogether andruns thesource the animalsaway. worried, Sincerely says, Mickey andif thefarm wreck windcouldreally “That on thefarm,appear tobegoing smoothly ahuge windgustcomes inandblows whensuddenly all are sohappy sing, darlings whenthey “Little are andwhenthey happy, we get more eggs.” Things herandsing, that follow of chickens entersthescene. andsays, introduces hersingingchickens She a farm, meeskamouskadoo, andon we ourfarm have lotsoffun, meeskamouskadoo.” stops andsays, “Howdy, girls!” Then, break thefriends intosong, singing, andDonald have “Mickey vegetables animals.” andraise Walking pastthecows, are which brown have andall udders, Goofy chickens, rabbits, ahorse, andagoat. thefarm, Upon entering says, Mickey “Here, we grow and fruits barn, silo, coopwitheggchutes, chicken appleorchard, and cornfield. Itappearstohousecows, pigs, Farm tractor” viathe “clickety-clack (ared tractor). compact utility The Clubhouse Farm features a in stereotypical “farm” boots, flannelshirts, hatsandoveralls, cowboy-style travel totheClubhouse werelivestock theepisodes. made during In andDonald Have aFarm,”“Mickey thefriends, dressed collections. Their plotswere bothcentered inagriculture; references several andproduction tofarming Fun-Fair!” were setattheClubhouse Farm. These were theiTunes thetwo episodes thatheadlined accomplishments. theirdaily celebrating approximately 24minutes. Eachepisoderuns successfully. theirproblems, solving After thegroup reunites Dog!” andsingstheclosing “Hot song, helpful, device, magical on tointroduce rely tomakeitthrough will theMousketoolsthey theday announces the theme, setting or problem the day. for to be solved on The gang calls Toodles, its Clubhouse themesong and introducing themselves. and Afterward, enters the clubhouse Mickey to the viewer.directly singing the Six Each episode begins with the Sensational The show has a dialogueformat, are andhisfriends talking asthough Mickey makingitfeel called device transportable Toodles. Junior MediaNet, (Disney 2014) throughlearning handygizmosandgear, theMousekedoer, including Mouseketoolsanda decipher picture puzzles. andhispalshelpadvance andreinforce Mickey theepisode’s toidentifyshapes, andlearn mathskills early develop viewers andnumbers patterns As thelettuceandcarrotspopupfrom thesoil, andgoat therabbits appear. However, thehorse Afterward, Cow, Clarabelle wholoves music bovine black andhasaband ananthropomorphized Of the10episodesanalyzed, two, only andDonald Have aFarm”“Mickey and Farm“Mickey’s Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 108 Mickey Mouse Mickey 5 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research the Giant. and the broken them and return them to from to locate white eggshells hatched they Willie which Cow,Clarabelle usetheirdetective tofind skills thegiantbaby chicks. theirfootprints follow They issetinthe clouds.which The GoGetters, asecret agent group made upofMinnie, Daisyand eat itinstead. At first, thegroup isnotsure whattodo, andcan likethepopcorn thechickens realize butthenthey but something goes wrong. the jar, games zaps One of the carnival to popcorn. the corn all turning tofill agiantjar withcorn.as thegroup spendstheday trying Onceitisfull, begin to celebrate, they toenter,in corn eat, orplay games. aswell asacow andpighangaroundThe chickens thecarnival toeat.of corn To get more corn, where guestspay decideto hostacarnival and Clarabelle Mickey finale,in thegrand singing along thefriends. withall to behottea. Bythetimeproduction isover, are betterandare all thechickens abletoparticipate the second song, appearlesswell, thechickens whatappears sittingonatatableanddrinking chairs the first performance,After cluck, the chickens clap, cheer, and jump with excitement. However, after tohelpherputon themusical, Six on theSensational rhymes. singpopularnursery they inwhich Unfortunately, have put on lost their voices the show. and cannot her singing chickens relies Clarabelle its Mousketoolstoround uptheanimalsandreturn themtothepettingzoo. a Ferris by wheelbeingoperated Peg-Leg Pete andtheelephant ishanginginatree. The ganguses being rescued, thecows standon theirhind legsandmooahappy tune. onThe pigsare riding found ofapond.island inthemiddle cowsto shore. four atatimeback useasailboattobring They While However, asleepandtheanimalsescape. hefalls Intheirsearch, find they thecowson stranded an Petting Zoo,” eight cows, for Goofyisincharge ofcaring 10pigs, andanelephant atthepetting zoo. featured one ormore speciesofproduction more livestock than50%oftheruntime. In “Goofy’s “Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Moosical,” “Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Carnival,” GoGetters” and “The animals, minor references were made oranimal agriculture. tofarming “Goofy’s Petting Zoo,” song. peach. and singing the winning a blue ribbon the characters The episode ends with all Dog!”“Hot peach.it andbecomes arunaway Luckily, tractor saves theday by stoppingthe theclickety-clack character, theGiant, Willie entersthefair. agiantpeachtothecontest, brings Willie buthedrops grows and becomes red. to three vibrant times its size magically The contest continues, and a new an elephant thatsuctions iton wateroutofanearby pond Minnie’s andsprays tomato. The tomato andshriveled,small isinneedofwater. The Mousketoolcollection comes totherescue, bringing andvegetable contest.with abigfruit tomato, Minnieannouncestothegroup herprize is which onto your hats, upyour hitch pants, we are doingthefunfairsquare dance.” thedance follow They are collected, thegroup breaks intoa “geometric jamboree,” dancingon shapeswhilesinging, “Hold on calls Toodles aMousketooltohelpgatherthemoo-muffins tobring up. Oncethemoo-muffins Cow toslipon Clarabelle stagerolling andthrow egg causes her “moo-muffins” everywhere. Mickey awhiteeggon andlays thestage. Cow’sone ofClarabelle becomes surprised singingchickens The balesandfeaturesstraw aneggandspoon race, game, thebell ring andbakeoff. thebakeoff, During tractortoafairattheClubhouse Farm.clickety-clack The fairisheldinacircular arena made of “The GoGetters”“The features three theGiant’s whohave from giantbaby fallen farm, chicks Willie In “Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Carnival,” out are Cow running announces thechickens Clarabelle “Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Moosical” Cow wantingtohostamusical. beginswithClarabelle ofanimals;The remaining eightepisodesfeatured avariety however, asidefromthe featuring In Farm“Mickey’s Fun-Fair!,” thegang, againdressed instereotypical “farm” apparel, the drives Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 109 6 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research made toagriculture intheshows (see Table 2). relative lifestyle.indirectly toanagricultural ananimalspecies. housingfor on constructing andhousingofanimalsis ofbarns Construction collection.centric itdidnotfeature oranimalagriculture directly, farming While theplotwasfocused friends, MamaandBaby RedBird. ofthisepisodeinafarm- Itissignificanttonotetheinclusion or animal agriculture. Instead, a birdhouse on the episode focuses his Goofy new constructing for coop.his giantchicken Heobliges, go agiantwhiteegg. andthey inthecooptocollect tofind agiantegg.instructed theGiant’s andasktohave farm aneggfrom floatupto They Willie Cow. The singlereference toagricultureismade on thescavenger huntlist, whenthegroup is eggs, five apiece. kernels coop,chicken where find they kernels. abagofgiantcorn thechickens, feed They lay which brown hisgiantchickens.and feeding The group completes thefirst two chores andthenmoves on tothe to complete whilehewasgone. Willie’s cleaning room,The chores include hisgarden watering farm. Upon arrival, them for find left they a list of chores to the door of his red tacked barn Willie whilehegoes tovisithismother.clouds andhispalsuseahotairballoontofloatupthe Mickey alligator. andfind totheriver takethealligator itsmotherandtwo siblingsthere.They either.turtle thegroup standsaround puzzled,While ababy andhatches theeggbeginstocrack eggisbrown).chicken atthepond,The group moves toaturtle buttheeggdoesnotbelong tothe egg, eggto a chicken comparethe friends their mystery seeingitis a different shape andcolor (the Goofy in “chicken talk” theeggdoesnotbelong toanyone atthepettingzoo. Inathoughtbubble, but itdoesnotbelong tothem. Then, at thepettingzoo. ask the chickens they Gladys, thehen, tells tofind itsowner. travel around whilethey warm andtry withthebirds firstThey inthewoods, check it itbecause for Donald“shivers” caring whenheisnearit. tokeeptheegg The group usesascarf tofind inthewoods. themotherofaneggGoofyfound try gang asthey The eggappearstoprefer species ofproduction lessthan50%oftheruntime. livestock anEgg” Hatches “Donald features the “Donald Hatches anEgg,” Hatches “Donald BigJob,”“Mickey’s and “Goofy’s Thinking Cap” featured one ormore During thecontent analysis,During theresearchers quantified by methodofcodingthevisualreferences The remaining episode, “Goofy theHomemaker,” didnotcontain any references tofarming “Goofy’s Thinking Cap” doingascavenger hunt, Six features theSensational hostedby Clarabelle In BigJob,”“Mickey’s tokeepaneye oninthe hisgiantfarm theGiantasksMickey Willie Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 110 7 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research agriculture, thefarm, wreck windcouldreally saying“That andifthat happens, we won’t have any lotsoffun.”vegetables onisalways thefarm of also impresses on theimportance Mickey viewers and Donald Have aFarm”proclaim“Mickey we“On our farm have lots of fun,” and “Growing Have aFarm” and Farm“Mickey’s Fun-Fair!” andhispals in tunessangbyThe catchy Mickey The positive wasmostapparent framing inthetwo collection headliners: andDonald “Mickey andits relatedfarming operations appeared thecharacters. for tobeenjoyable andentertaining Researchers thecontext determined to bepositive because, asidefrom some implausiblescenarios, revealed,content analysis 10episodes, inall positive context. inagenerally agriculture wasframed way inwhich the wasusedtodescribe thecontentThe qualitative analysis andquantitative during datacollected Discussion to Made Agriculture References List Quantifying Visual Table 2 Peaches Tomatoes Pumpkins Peppers Rows Planting Seeds Apples Carrots Lettuce Goat Horse onCorn theCob Carrots Apples Brown Eggs Rabbits Tractor feed) (usedaschicken Kernels Corn Hat Cowboy-Style Farmer Cornfield Pigs Cow) Clarabelle Cows (not including Straw Silo Eggs White Cow Clarabelle Red Barn Chickens Reference Object frames agriculture in its farm-centric-themed collections. MouseClubhouse agriculture initsfarm-centric-themed Mickey frames The Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 111 % of Episodes Viewed In % ofEpisodes Viewed 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 10% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 20% 30% 30% 30% 30% 30% 30% 40% 40% 50% 60% 60% 70% 8 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research lay brown eggs” (2015). and earlobeslay eggs;hens withwhite feathers white-shelled hens with red and earlobes feathers Egg Board states, breed thecolor oftheshell. ofhendetermines “The Among commercial breeds, inaccurate andimprobable scenesare listedasfollows: nature oftheshow. ofthecartoon some offantasywastobeexpectedbecause level The most “darlings,”and “pals.” relationships encounter. oftheanimalsthey withall refer commonly totheanimalsas They “friends,” and production inapositive livestock context, engagingindelightful andhisfriends showing Mickey games, contests, food animals, dancing, andawards. The otherepisodesalsopresented agriculture young educating children aboutagriculture. andarecan informally ofhow networks preschool-dedicated bemilked)intotheepisodeisevidence speciescan female only inthetirecow stuck swing, herefers toheras “Mrs. Cow.” slippingthisagriculture fact (that Subtly ingender.as female thefarm, entering When Goofysays, “Howdy, girls!” Then, whenhenoticesthe Additionally, refers thisepisodenotedGoofytwice toMickey’s for milkingcows thecontent analysis The Clubhouse Farm is clean, and vibrant, organized are and his friends dressed neatly. and Mickey food.” The group appears to enjoy working plantseeds, asthey apples, pick thelivestock. andcorral In theeggindustry, red orbrown breeds ofhensdonotproduce white eggs. AstheAmerican • Episodes Other • • “Goofy’s Petting Zoo” • • • • “Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Moosical” • • • • andDonald Have aFarm”“Mickey instancesofinaccuracies andunrealistic didreveal afew situations;The content analysis however, In Farm“Mickey’s Fun-Fair,” place shown filled tobealively with fairisaccurately anagricultural

episodes, thesamechickens’ eggsare brown. In five episodes, thered-and-brown-feathered lay whiteeggs; chickens however, intwo other aFerrisThe pigsride wheel, eachintheirown car. a sailboat. return Asthey toshore, thecows standon theirhindlegsandmoo atune. are and his friends able to rescue the cows onMickey stranded anisland by putting them in isnotthesameaspopcorn). corn game(feed carnival by beingzapped a after intopopcorn turn thechickens for used as feed kernels The corn Clarabelle’s Clubhouse Carnival: Minnie’s grows upon tothree beingwatered. tomato timesitssize magically Cow’s sing,Clarabelle can chickens clap, bow, sitatatable, from and drink cups. coop. thechicken The Clubhouse pigsslidedown toescape theeggchutes atopofthebarn.The Clubhouse balancingon horsewasfound aweathervane away by animalswere awindgust. The farm upandcarried picked motion. intofresh turn produceThe plantedseedsimmediately upon beingwatered. inone tractorthatplantsandwatersseedsall tractor isacompact utility The clickety-clack Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 112 9 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research with the Disney-ABC with theDisney-ABC Television Group composes agriculture-related toinvestigate whospecifically Mouse).(comparable toMickey Third, theresearchers recommend more persuasive contact bemade agriculture are more probable whenthelesson istaughtby analready established, well-liked character lessons improves ofcontent understandingandpermanence aswell asifpositive perceptions of in themindsofyoung children. hypothesescouldexplore whetheranimation Sample ofagriculture andconstructed more being absorbed understandingthe perceptions idealfor actually and schemas agriculture’s relationship programming, withanimatedtelevision research experimental ismuch preschool-aged children. evaluating interviews establishes afoundation for content analysis While and/or future fieldwork research experimental observes related that explicitly tothistopicinclude as well asexaminethesemioticmeaningsofimages through portrayed shows. such Second, recommend additional other children’s in-depth studies be conducted to review programming television production andpositively. animals are accurately portrayed assistinthecreationand educators toensure andproduction series agriculture and television ofsuch information,in the face ofcontradictory that, it iscritical when possible, communicators agricultural thousands ofpreschoolers nationwide. toremain have unchanged, schemata atendency Because even are of series helping toplanttheseedofwhatagriculture islikeintheschema animated television scenesandreferences MouseClubhouseThe farm-centric inMickey andothersimilarpreschool-aged Recommendations working incontrolled environmental animalproduction facilities couldbeexplored subjectmatter. for (GPS) onglobal positioning equipment, systems howismoved from grain thefield tofeed, or preschoolers andtheirgrowing toproduction schema agriculture. Even concepts asspecific asusing andsweet (orwhiteeggsversus corn corn brownfeed eggs)would beagreat way tointroduce that teachpreschoolers why thedifferent are kindsoflivestock orthedifference raised between there operation. aboutthefarming waslittletobelearned exercises Expandingthelesson toinclude didalotofteachinginregard andhisfriends tonames,Though Mickey numbers, shapes, andcolors, Additionally, one specific elementthatappeared specific waseducation tobelacking toproduction. tractor orcombinetractor, thanacompact-utility isreminiscent which equipment. ofantiquefarm of some scenesisquestionable. For example, aplanting itwould driving bemore idealtoseeMickey framework;preschoolers andcheerful inaconstructive however, andprogressiveness thepracticality Mouse Clubhouseshows like Mickey are reaching routinely farmore thanjusttheaverage preschooler. womenfor aged 18 to49(91,000). ofagriculture on demonstrates usesandframing This metric astheNo. wasranked Junior channel months straight network seventeen 1preschool-dedicated for education. agricultural informal audiencefor asecondary their children supply The 24-hourDisney aboutagriculture.schemata Futhermore, parents alongside ofpreschoolers animatedseries whowatch presenting for alarge youngcommunicators platform andeducators mindspositive andaccurate 0 to5livingintheU.S. (U.S. CensusBureau, 2014), preschool-aged agricultural offers television inthelivelihoods ofeachcitizen.and essentialpart approximately 24million children aged With (U.S.employs 16.5million Americans ofAgriculture, Department 2014), adirect agricultureplays agriculture in preschool-aged animated television.United States that As a $775.8 billion industry agriculture’s presence on TV. anduseof beginstounravel theframing only This content analysis communicators and educators,As agricultural to note the context and extent of it is important Conclusions Multiple recommendations originated as a result of this preliminary study.Multiple recommendations as a result originated of thispreliminary First, the researchers Fortunately, for thewriters Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 Mickey MouseClubhouseMickey have presented agriculture anditslikenessto Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 113 10 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research Luckerson, V. (2014, December3). Fewer People Than Ever Are Watching TV. Time. Retrieved Lord, C., &McTeague, P. (2014, October28). Highlights October Ratings for National 2014–Final Li, Z., andSheng, M. (2003). required: assembly Some thedevelopment ofneuronal synapses. Hsieh, H. F., &Shannon, S. E. (2005). Three approaches toqualitative content analysis. Qualitative Gutnick, A. L., Robb, M., Takeuchi, L., &Kotler, J. (2011). connected: Always digitalThe new media Engstrom, E. (1995). [Electronic Rock: aseducation Schoolhouse cartoons Version]. of Journal JuniorMediaNet.Disney (2014). MouseClubhouse Mickey Fact Sheet. from Retrieved http://www. Bloome, P. (1992). aMature Relationship Seeking withAgriculture. Extension. of Journal 30(1). EggBoard.American (2015). Incredible EdibleEgg–EggsColor. from Retrieved http://www. References the mindsofyoung children. in education is one potentialway toinitiatepositive ofagriculture andmagnifyagricultural schema children’sin all media. television Providing accurateandprogressive agriculture lessons incartoons influenceandexpandagriculture’s bemade topositively understanding whatchanges can representation itfirst 20years aired even inviewers after (Engstrom, capacities andrecall memorability 1995). children’s Saturday morning during programming from 1973to1985. The show isknownits for Rock! envision day amodern Schoolhouse Rock! on focused U.S. production food anddistribution. non-profit content. educational Given an ideal fundingand circulation situation, theresearchers Broadcasting Service, YouTube, andpreschools are thatmay have possibleplatforms aninterest in creatingavailable for anddisseminatingaccurate and exciting animatedcontent tochildren. Public ABC Television Group reach, isbeyond theindustry’s itisproposed academics explore public arenas more successcoordinating talkswithDisney-ABC Television Group. Ifarelationship withDisney- (i.e.organization Farm American Bureau, USDA, National Association, Education etc.)mighthave preschool-agedfor children viaanimatedtelevision. isthatalarge reputable Speculation group or inregard resources toexpandingeducational theagriculture industry for could establishaporthole ofepisodes. andframing show curriculum Furthermore, contact withDisney-ABC Television Group talkswithDisney-ABC because unfortunate Television Group would provide more insightintothe stated the group was unwilling to answer the questions posed. In the eyes of the researchers this is Mark Seidenberg; however, referred Seidenberg theresearchers toABC’s legal department, who writers’ backgrounds are inagriculture, didspeakwiththeproducer of content in theirshows. The researchers thisstudy, for whattheshow’s inaquesttodetermine content from http://time.com/3615387/tv-viewership-declining-nielsen/ OCT14.pdf from Retrieved http://www.disneychannelmedianet.com/DNR/2014/DC_DJ_Ratings. Nature Reviews, 4:833-841. Health Research, 15(9), 1277-1288. younghabits of children. New York: The JoanGanzCooney CenteratSesame Workshop. Popular and Film Television, 23(3), 98-105. disneyjuniormedianet.com/web/showpage/showpage.aspx?program_id=900022&type=factsheet fromRetrieved http://www.joe.org/joe/1992spring/tp1.php incredibleegg.org/egg-facts/eggcyclopedia/c/color In conclusion, in communicators and educators additional assist agricultural studies can was an American interstitial series of animated musical educational shorts that originally aired thatoriginally shorts ofanimatedmusicaleducational interstitialseries was anAmerican Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 114 Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,Mickey Schoolhouse 11 DOI: 10.4148/1051-0834.1065 http://newprairiepress.org/jac/vol99/iss4/9 Research freelance designer, writer, andmarketing consultant more for thaneightyears. Cassaundra’s current designer and marketing coordinator MainGraphics inUrbana, for Ohio, sixyears for andalsoasa communications. inagricultural pursuing herMasterofScience hasworked Cassaundra asa graphic graduated withherbachelor’s communications degree from inagricultural OSUin2009 and isnow isagraduate research Dietrich associate at Cassaundra University.The Ohio State Cassaundra the Authors About Zhao, X., &Zhu, L. (2012, 12). September andCollege EnglishReading Schema Theory Yahr, E. (2012, June22). boomlet in Anew preschoolers. for TV The Washington Post. Retrieved Urban ChildInstitute. (2014). Baby’s Begins Now: Brain Conception toAge 3. from Retrieved U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2013, 4). April Demographics. from Retrieved http:// U.S. ofAgriculture. Department (2014, November 25). AgandFood andtheEconomy. Sectors U.S. ofAgriculture. Department (2014, March 28). Extension. from Retrieved http://www.csrees. U.S. CensusBureau. (2014). Federal Interagency Forum onChildandFamily Statistics. America’s U.S. CensusBureau. (2010). Classification andUrban Area 2010CensusUrban andRural Criteria. Guide.TV (2015). MouseClubhouse EpisodeGuide. Mickey fromhttp://www.tvguide. Retrieved Simpson, S. (2013), Vreeswijk, M. , Broersen, J. &Nadort, M. (Eds.)(2012). TheWiley-Blackwell Scheufele, D.A. 1999. (4): Communication, 49 “Framing of Journal asa ofMediaEffects.” Theory Schor, J. (2004). to Born Buy: Culture. ChildandtheNew Consumer The Commercialized NewYork: Rideout, V. J., Vandewater, E.A. , and Wartella, E.A. (2003). to Six: Zero Mediainthe Electronic Padesky, C.A. (1994). Change Processes Schema inCognitive Therapy. and Psychology Clinical Nielsen HoldingsN.V. (2014). The Total Report. Audience from Retrieved http://ir.nielsen.com/ McTeague, P. (2013, July). JuniorFact Disney Sheet. from Retrieved http://www.disneyjuniormedi- Teaching. Center Science andEducation, Canadian of 5(11), 112. doi:10.5539/elt.v5n11p111 boomlet-in-tv-for-preschoolers/2012/06/21/gJQA7ZB4uV_story.html November 30, 2014, from http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmentcf/tv/a-new- http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/why-0-3/baby-and-brain www.epa.gov/oecaagct/ag101/demographics.html essentials/ag-and-food-sectors-and-the-economy.aspx fromRetrieved http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/ag-and-food-statistics-charting-the- usda.gov/qlinks/extension.html Printing Office. from Retrieved www.childstats.gov/americaschildren/tables.asp Children: National Key Indicators of Well Being, 2013. Washington, DC: U.S. Government fromRetrieved https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/urban-rural-2010.html com/shows/mickey-mouse-clubhouse-280010/episodes/ Psychologist, 17: 90. doi: 10.1111/cp.12018 handbook schema of therapy, theory, research, andpractice. Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Clinical 103-22. Scribner, p. 21. lives-of-infants-toddlers-and-preschoolers-pdf.pdf kaiserfamilyfoundation.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/zero-to-six-electronic-media-in-the- Lives Infants, of Toddlers andPreschoolers. FamilyThe Kaiser Foundation. from Retrieved https:// Psychotherapy, 1(5), 267-278. files/doc_presentations/2014/The-Total-Audience-Report.pdf. 25. anet.com/facts/DJ_Fact_Sheet_March2013.pdf Journal ofAppliedCommunications,Vol.99[2015],Iss.4,Art.9 Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 115 12 Published byNewPrairiePress, 2017 Research association of “swine flu” withanimalproducts. specifically, Annie studiedpublicmisconceptions outbreak andthepublic’s ofH1N1influenza of Twitter communication andrelationships tofurther among agricultureprofessionals. More of agriculture. andmediaportrayals of news analysis At Texas A&M, sheinvestigated the use research interests are intheareasprimary ofvisualcommunication, socialsemiotics, anddiscourse Leadership, Education, andCommunication ofNebraska-Lincoln (UNL). attheUniversity Her in 2013from Texas A&MUniversity. ofAgricultural worked theDepartment previously for Specht University. Dr. received herPh.D. Specht Leadership, inAgricultural Education, andCommunication groups andfocus andhasmore around than34professional theworld research publications.surveys thinkinginvolvedperceptions inconsumer problem andcritical solving. hasconducted similar Buck hastaughtandconducted researchShe more atOSUfor thannineyears inthearea ofagricultural how beshapedtoimprove they cognition agriculture practices. andunderstandingofmodern and special interest inunderstandingpublicperceptions andexpectations oftheagriculture industry inherM.S.focus ispublicaffairs, curriculum advocacy, marketing, andconsumer behavior. hasa She Annie Specht is an assistant professor of agricultural communications isanassistantprofessor at ofagricultural Annie Specht The Ohio State communications isanassociateprofessor at ofagricultural Buck Emily University.The Ohio State Dietrich etal.:ExploringtheRelationshipBetweenPre-School-agedAnimatedTelev Journal ofApplied Communications, Volume99, No.4• 116 13