Spring Break
The G-Spot: Hypocrisy in the frog penis debate
Greg Elias
Issue date: 4/7/05 Section: Entertainment
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04/07/05 - The definition of commercial decency in this country is now a deadly game of Frogger.
Late-night commercials pander to the viewer's base needs. Whether they're the Spring Break postcards of "Girls Gone Wild" or the fire sale of pop music soundbites, these ads count on the viewers' subconscious.
The monopoly in the burgeoning ringtone industry is undoubtedly Jamster, which spans three mediums by advertising on TV and sending the viewer to their phone or computer to order a piece of a song.
Overseas, Jamster even boasted a £10 million profit by early February for a ringtone featuring a frog making an annoying noise. The company called it "the most successful ringtone in the world" by late January, and a dance mix was played on UK radio. Despite this overwhelming appeal and success, 60 people complained about the ad.
The point of contest was that said frog happens to be wearing a leather vest and goggles while riding an invisible motorcycle. You can also see his penis, and he is blue.
According to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority, "While unusual for an animated model of this type to be shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references were made about its anatomy." The blue frog's penis held out under the glaring eye of mother Britain's decency standard.
America, the rebel child of the crown, is getting in on the ringtone craze a little late. The frog broke in during the dead of winter, bringing warmth to an embattled northeast. Its penis didn't stay long.
Putting a black box or a classy leaf over a cartoon frog's penis acknowledges the creation of a frog with external genitalia, but says, "I don't embrace the idea." This is exactly what broadcasters have done, bucking the trend in governmental terms by censoring a late night commercial. What was once the den of 900-numbers and John Basedow has become an interactive playground with a strict pants policy.
Is it paranoid to consider this a symptom of American broadcasting's move towards greater decency awareness surrounding the use of sex? Beer commercials are still overtly sexual, and their history has influenced the use of deed-related concepts by companies as totally withdrawn from sex as Overstock.com.
Late-night commercials pander to the viewer's base needs. Whether they're the Spring Break postcards of "Girls Gone Wild" or the fire sale of pop music soundbites, these ads count on the viewers' subconscious.
The monopoly in the burgeoning ringtone industry is undoubtedly Jamster, which spans three mediums by advertising on TV and sending the viewer to their phone or computer to order a piece of a song.
Overseas, Jamster even boasted a £10 million profit by early February for a ringtone featuring a frog making an annoying noise. The company called it "the most successful ringtone in the world" by late January, and a dance mix was played on UK radio. Despite this overwhelming appeal and success, 60 people complained about the ad.
The point of contest was that said frog happens to be wearing a leather vest and goggles while riding an invisible motorcycle. You can also see his penis, and he is blue.
According to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority, "While unusual for an animated model of this type to be shown with genitalia, no sexual or inappropriate references were made about its anatomy." The blue frog's penis held out under the glaring eye of mother Britain's decency standard.
America, the rebel child of the crown, is getting in on the ringtone craze a little late. The frog broke in during the dead of winter, bringing warmth to an embattled northeast. Its penis didn't stay long.
Putting a black box or a classy leaf over a cartoon frog's penis acknowledges the creation of a frog with external genitalia, but says, "I don't embrace the idea." This is exactly what broadcasters have done, bucking the trend in governmental terms by censoring a late night commercial. What was once the den of 900-numbers and John Basedow has become an interactive playground with a strict pants policy.
Is it paranoid to consider this a symptom of American broadcasting's move towards greater decency awareness surrounding the use of sex? Beer commercials are still overtly sexual, and their history has influenced the use of deed-related concepts by companies as totally withdrawn from sex as Overstock.com.
