Modern Business

I read from a Curious George book for tonight's bedtime story. There is a whole series of these books. There are also Curious George videos and cartoons. In fact, there is a Curious George film and video game. Such widespread commercialization is probably true of many kids' characters (e.g., Dora the Explorer, Cliff the Big Red Dog, Elmo, etc.). This should not be too surprising in an age characterized by sophisticated advertising, the prominence of Madison Avenue, and a global media. But that sense of innocence is lost when a seemingly simple childhood character turns out to be part of a conglomerate business entity.