Difference Between Targeting Children and Being Childish?

KenTheKiller · 07-12-2008, 10:47 PM

I've been thinking about this for awhile. As everybody knows, John Cena wrote in spray paint "JBL Is Poopey". Now I have to ask, how is that targeting children? The reason I say that is, I know when I was a child above the age of five, I never said poopey. Even more so, I always liked wrestling because it made me feel older and cooler. Is there a difference between targeting kids and acting kiddish? Example: Rey Mysterio targets kids because he resembles a super hero and is someone they can relate to. But he doesn't need to say childish things to get over with them.

Do you think WWE can still target children without being over the top cheesy and childish?

Soxfan · 07-12-2008, 11:21 PM

There isn't much of a difference. Most kids, especially the ones that watch WWE, at that age are childish.

Tommy Platinum · 07-13-2008, 09:15 PM

That Cena thing was horrible and shows that he is 100% aimed at children, but most people knew that anyway.

I personally think that WWE aim towards children too much, and with incidents like the 'JBL is poopy' thing they really do patronise their fanbase. Most kids would prefer to watch something more cool and edgy. I know I loved the more adult storylines when I was a kid. WWE need to aim their product at adults, because children will enjoy watching that too.

xChumChumx · 07-13-2008, 09:58 PM

HA HA HA HA! He put poopey on the limo! HA HA HA HA! He's funny.

RobyD · 07-14-2008, 03:56 AM

I found it halarious, actually. The point was he was trying to act childish even tho he's not. Same thing HBK was doing.

xstat32x · 07-14-2008, 04:24 AM

But atleast when HBK did it work and people actually laughed. JBL Is Poopey was the stupidest thing I've seen on WWE in a long time. They aim for kids way to often and they really dont push the envelope anymore and it's a shame. They are at their best when they are aiming their product at the adults and if they did that the ratings would be better I believe.

It's cool they are going back to their roots and making their product more family orientated but they should learn how to balance adult and kid and if they met a compromise it could be a really great thing,

horrorfan_1986 · 07-14-2008, 04:32 AM

"JBL Is Poopy" isn't being directed as children. It's pathetic and it's something that no one would find funny.

If you want to direct your product to children, that's great. Make more toys, kids clothes, lunch boxes. Tone down the sex and remove some blood. Kids don't need to see immature things to be entertained. Look at what Eddie Guerrero did to JBL in 2004. Instead of spray painting the word poopy on JBL's limo, he stole JBL's cowboy hat and had everyone in the front row throw their drinks, spit and other things to ruin the hat. THAT was entertainment. Better yet, that was entertainment that any age could have enjoyed.

I really don't want to see another Attitude Era where we're forced to watch a product that we wouldn't be comfortable letting our children, nieces, nephews or grandchildren to watch. At the same time, I don't want to watch something as immature as what Cena did last week.

Squibo · 07-14-2008, 11:12 AM

Well Cena does target children but that incident was too over the top. Children these days have changed a lot from the attitude era. There is more independence in children at a much younger age, kids are drinking doing drugs etc at like 12 and that all the time now, never used to happen on such a large scale. So giving them constant rubbish like that isn't going to entertain them, new avenues need to be taken to entertain todays society.

What the WWE needs to realise is while the attitude era was great on an entertainment basis, they need to appeal more so to teenage and older generation. These are the people who were the little kids during the attitude era, but now have grown up and entering adulthood. There still needs to be entertainment for them, as well as the little kids. I think they should just focus the child aspect more so on merchandise and those who can pull off the childish image well such as Rey.

Tommy Platinum · 07-14-2008, 10:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RobyD
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I found it halarious, actually. The point was he was trying to act childish even tho he's not. Same thing HBK was doing.

That is possible, but HBK could actually pull it off. With Cena's character being so obviously aimed at children in the first place, things like this just become all the more cringeworthy.

Difference Between Targeting Children and Being Childish?

This is a discussion on Difference Between Targeting Children and Being Childish? within the WWE Discussion forums, part of the Wrestling Forums category; I've been thinking about this for awhile. As everybody knows, John Cena wrote in spray paint "JBL Is Poopey". Now ...