Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood

Tell Scholastic: Stop Marketing TV to Preschoolers

In August, Cartoon Network launched Tickle U, ten new hours of TV programming targeting toddlers – two full hours, five days a week. Now Scholastic has partnered with Cartoon Network to send Tickle U “curricula” to more than 20,000 preschool teachers.

The Cartoon Network claims its Tickle U curriculum will help preschoolers develop a sense of humor. It is clear, however, from the curriculum materials – including a classroom poster of the Tickle U characters and a parent guide that urges children to “Tune in to Tickle U” – that the real goal of the partnership is to use classrooms to introduce and promote the Cartoon Network’s new programming and the licensed products it will be selling.

Please take a moment to tell Scholastic to get Tickle U out of preschool classrooms and stop undermining parents’ attempts to discourage excessive television viewing among their young children.

Your letter will be sent to:

Richard Robinson, Chairman, President and CEO Scholastic Corporation

Kyle Good, Vice President Corporate Communications & Media Relations

If you choose to edit your message to make it more personal, please change the subject line of your email as that will increase the chance that your changes will be noticed. Click here to read what other CCFC members are saying about Scholastic and Tickle U.

September 02, 2010

Subject:

Dear Mr. Robinson and Ms. Good,

I am writing to urge you to end Scholastic’s partnership with The Cartoon Network to market Tickle U in preschools. The Cartoon Network claims its Tickle U curriculum will help preschoolers develop a sense of humor. It is clear, however, from your materials – including a classroom poster of the Tickle U characters and a parent guide that urges children to “Tune in to Tickle U” – that the real goal of your partnership is to use classrooms to introduce and promote the Cartoon Network’s new programming and the licensed products it will be selling. There is no evidence that television aids in children’s humor development. But overwhelming evidence links children’s early television viewing with attention deficit difficulties, antisocial behaviors, obesity and low academic achievement. Marketing Tickle U in preschools undermines parents’ attempts to discourage excessive television viewing among their young children. Scholastic risks the high regard with which parents and the education community hold the company by misleading parents about the benefits of Tickle U and promoting such a blatant attempt to turn young children into regular viewers of commercial television. I strongly urge you to drop your affiliation with The Cartoon Network and ‘Tickle U’ and to pledge not to market television to young children in the future. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely,
We will add your signature from the information you provide.

First Name*

Last Name*

Email*

Street*

Street 2

City*

State/Province*

Zip/Postal Code*

Send an Email