“WHAT AT THE DEUCE ARE YOU STARING AT!”

“WHAT AT THE DEUCE ARE YOU STARING AT!”

November 5, 2006, 9:52 am
Filed under: Uncategorized

The other day I watched a DVD of Family Guy in which “Snap”, “Crackle” and “Pop” of the Rice Krispies were animated. I was very excited. My beloved mascots of Rice Krispies cereal had personalities. That got me thinking about the marketing of Family Guy. In the United States, if you ask people between the ages of 15 and 40 about Family Guy, the name probably would create a visual of Peter Griffin or Stewie in the majority of minds. Why is that? How can a cartoon create name recognition? Are they breaking new ground with stimulating writing and graphics? This blog will explore the convergence of media and remixing of concepts. 

H. Jenkins from the book, Workshop at the Alter of Convergence, defines that convergence happens when old and new media collide, where grassroots and corporate media intersect, where the power of the media producer and the power of the media consumer interact in unpredictable ways. Family Guy has developed a following by airing the cartoon on Sunday nights on Fox television. From this viewing, a diverse array of products has emerged. A visit to http://www.familyguy.com/ provides the user with ring tones, a message board, blogs, video clips, E-cards, a store that sells T-Shirts, DVDs and more. Ring tones, E-cards and video E-cards not only promote the show but also perpetuates the cultural convergence. Family Guy has crossed traditional media in which a television show is aired and has developed mass marketing of numerous products that reaches a variety of audiences.  The control of what one says in the E-card and where it goes has moved away from the cartoonist, and has created an unpredictable atmosphere that capitalizes and promotes Family Guy. 

In the Family Guy episode, Blind Ambition, “Crackle” and “Pop” are in a bar after an attack by the Keebler Elves killed “Snap”. The segment ended with them raising their mugs to “Snap”.When the characters were illustrated in 1933 by illustrator Vernon Grant, the characters’ primary purpose was to sell Rice Krispies cereal. This remixing or twisting of these cultural products mascots is a spin off its original context.  

The content of the show is about an average middle-class family in New England that struggles with common issues in outlandish fashions. The common issues are not original and many of the situations that they find themselves are absurd, but this mixing and mashing of popular norms in extreme situations make this unique. Content that is newsworthy or in the media can be topics for the show. For instance, in the episode “Don’t Make Me Over”, Meg, the daughter, undergoes a makeover to make herself more attractive. In another episode titled “PTV”, Osama bin Laden is having trouble keeping a straight face while videotaping a threatening message to the United States. Further into the episode Congress is debating censorship. Each topic is serious, but outrageous situations bring a bit of humorous discourse to these topics. 

In conclusion, Family Guy is an example of convergence with mainstream media blended into a variety of alternative media avenues. Popular culture, characters and newsworthy topics can be topics of discussion and story lines for this show. This show demonstrates a successful example of blending and mixing of popular culture into a media modality. As Stewie says, “What the deuce are you staring at?” 

References

Family Guy. Retrieved November 5, 2006 from http.wwwfamilyguy.com.

Felton, E. (2004). Rip, mix, burn, sue: Technology, politics, and the fight to control digital media. Princeton University President’s Lecture Series, no. 1.

Jenkins, H. (2006). Introduction: “Worship at the alter of convergence” (pp. 1-24). Convergence Culture. New York: NYU Press.

Snap, Crackle and Pop. Retrieved November 5, 2006 from http://www.answers.com/topic/snap-crackle-and-pop.

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