Kids in commercials: Adorable or obnoxious?

Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under: TV commercials

We talked earlier about how ad agencies try and play on our love for certain songs, hoping we'll transfer that love to their products. They do the same thing with kids. But just as a proud parent is quick to assume everyone thinks his or her little darling can do no wrong, commercials often make the exact same mistake.

'I don't like waffles'
First off, who doesn't like WAFFLES? This is not cod-liver oil we are talking about here, but yet the little girl in the Pediasure commercial insists she doesn't like the golden-brown breakfast treat. Of course, she apparently doesn't like anything. And, you know, that's fine. I was kind of a picky eater myself. But the fact that she keeps repeating her negative food feelings while her hapless mom just shops and shops annoys more viewers than it entertains.

Barfing ETrade baby
I'm just going to go on the record right now and say that I may be unfairly biased against this ad. I have a nine-month-old daughter, and well, I've seen her milk make an unwelcome return visit a few too many times over the past months. So you'll have to forgive me if the barfing baby for ETrade just doesn't seem as hilarious to me as to most folks out there. But I seem to be alone, because most of you love this kid. Maybe I'd like his barf-free ads, such as the one with the clown, better.

DQ kid
This commercial kind of went right by me, didn't think it was dumb, didn't think it was exceptionally memorable. The family's at DQ and the kid says antidisestablishmentarianism. Eh. But readers disagreed with me in droves -- plenty of you posted that you LOVED the ad, especially the kid's laugh at the end. So there you go. Cute kids are in the eye of the beholder.

I know there are plenty of kids in commercials that I haven't mentioned here. Share your thoughts on those, and other commercials, in the comments. We'll be announcing our choice for best and worst ad of the year on Aug. 4 in the blog, so campaign for your favorites (or least favorites) while you still can.

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Comments

Totally have to agree with the pediasure kid. Ugh! That whiny sing-song voice of hers grates on me every time that commercial comes on!

Amy W., Bettendorf, IA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 10:09 AM)

I hate when kids sing on commercials. I'd rather hear finger nails on a chalkboard or Fran Drescher laughing than children singing. Any add that features kids singing is muted. The worst is when you get an ad (usually local low-budget ones) that feature kids singing about something that has nothing to do with kids. There's one in central VA with kids singing about some heating and air service company.

I also hate commericals that feature bratty, bossy, disobedient kids. Nobody likes kids like that, not even for 30 seconds on TV.

Heather BR, Cville,VA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 10:29 AM)

My favorite 'child in a commercial' ad is for a telephone book (don't ask which one) who is looking up virtual martial arts training after getting a wedgie. Might not be the most PC (learning to fight), but gives an idea for kids being bullied looking for an answer.

Heather, San Gabriel, CA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 10:56 AM)

Most kid commercials are obnoxious. Some of them show them as out of control, and half the time you can't understand what they say. I usually put them on mute when they come on. I would rather have the animal commercials.

Pat, LA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:08 AM)

I like the other DQ commercial when the girl flirts with the boy and tells her mother to only buy one sundae. Then, when the boy sends her a sundae, she says to her mother, "it's like shooting fish in a barrel."

Anon, somewhere, CO (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:10 AM)

I'd like to thank the authors of this article for giving me the platform to go on the record as stating unequivocally that kids in adult commercials are obnoxious! Especially that E-Trade baby. They say that htere's no such thing as bad publicity. Wrong. I hope E-trade has their ears on to hear that I wouldn't anymore trade with e-trade than I would set a puking baby at a keyboard, if this juvenile commercial is any indication of their judgment.

Mark (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:22 AM)

Even more creepy were the Welch commercials a few years back that had dwarfs playing the role of children, speaking in eerie adult voices about how much they loved to drink grape juice. The one blond gal's unblinking eyes and munchkin-like voice was as scary as the horror-movie killer Chucky doll. Fact is, any commercial that has children speaking like adults is sickening. Proof positive that there are many very stupid people working for big corporations and the ad agencies.

Nate Bob (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:25 AM)

I love the kid in that one commercial where the dad goes away on a business trip. The little girl sneaks her stuffed monkey doll into her dad's briefcase and he proceeds to take pictures of the monkey at all the places he is and sends them to her. I find that girl so adorable especially at the end when she seems so excited to see her father come home. I love it when children love their parents so much!

Jessica, Southern California (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:28 AM)

I can't think of any memorable kid commercials except that I was a fan of the "IDK, my BFF Jill" commercial and I liked how they turned it into a series of commercials.

My current fave is for Toyota. The woman has gotten a great deal and when she goes to put the key on her keychain, she accidentally and unknowingly squirts pepper spray in the salesman's eye. He starts yelling in pain saying "I can't see!" and she cries out, "I know, I'm blinded with joy!".

Maybe I'm masochistic, but the commercial makes me smile every time.

Nichole, North Carolina (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:34 AM)

Every once in awhile you get a kid in a commercial that just kills you. They're so funny and so real and you know that the writers only won half the battle and that the kid is just freaking talented. But most of the time the kids cast in commercials make me want to jam a pin under my fingernail.

Ella (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:40 AM)

Correction on the DQ commercial, he doesn't spell antidisestablishmentarianism, he simply says it. Still, not an impressive commercial.

Erin Raleigh, NC (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:44 AM)

I am offended when an ad selling a car,etc. is by a child whose never paid a bill in their life and has no concept of money. And yes, many of the ads with children, the children are "too adult" and bossy.

Annie Fouty, Show Low , Arizona (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:48 AM)

Annie Fouty, Show Low , Arizona (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 11:49 AM)

I agree that all these commercials are SUPER ANNOYING. My friends and I are in the correct demographic (ages 28 - 36) for many of the goods these commercials are promoting, but the so called cute kids do little more than annoy. Actually, no...they do make us boycott or try to boycott the product/service. Any commercial with an annoying kid or alarm clock is bad marketing in my opinion.

It kind of disgusts me that they are exploiting children to sell some unhealthy fast food in the case of the "oh-so-adorable-smart-spelling kid" on the DQ commercial. Seriously, do marketing department and ad agencies think that this increases business?? I do not even know what they are promoting in the DQ commercial and I probably never will. As far a the e-trade baby...I did not even remember it was a commercial for e-trade, I only know because you mentioned it here...same with the annoying waffle girl. I cannot believe that commercials depict children being brats in order to sell product. Unless it is an advertisement for birth control, it makes no sense to me.

Heather, WisCo (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:03 PM)

I agree with you on the barfing E-trade ad. I've seen to much of the same in my grandchildren. And for a kid not to like waffles is not believable. They would eat a ton of sticky waffles if only to cover themselves and the parents with the gooey syrup. And,yes, I do like the DQ ad. I enjoy your posts.

Jessie, Kingsport, Tn. (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:05 PM)

I like the DQ commercial where the daughter sells her dad his hotdog and blizzard then closes up shop. It is something I could totally see my daughter doing.

Tina Johnson, Springfield, MO (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:06 PM)

This is what you are paid to write about???? Who the heck cares whether you like kids? Or DQ? or waffles? Can there be anything more inane than hearing you whine about this???

Sheldon, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:08 PM)

I cant stand that pediasure kid, but the one I think is the worst is the paper towel where the kid is shaking the bottle of orange soda and then it starts spraying all over and the mom turns around and starts spraying him with the water hose from the sink, oh yeah right, my mom was a pretty cool laid back mom, but I gotta tell a water fight in the kitchen after I sprayed soda all over the place would never ever have happened.

My favorite is an old one, and Oscar Mayer one with the adorable little curly haired boy fishing and singing about his bologna then at the end says "hows that" and takes a bite...

jersey girl (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:11 PM)

That obnoxiously precocious girl in the DQ ad who flirts with the boy to get him to buy her a sundae....at all of 9 years old! The ending line has her saying to her mom "it's like shooting fish in a barrel". What kind of message is this sending to our girls? Yuk....made me sick to think we are regressing to the point of teaching our girls they can flirt their way into getting a buy to buy them what they want!

Kathy Riggs, Denver, CO (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:15 PM)

The waffle kid is thoroughly annoying and should be made to eat waffles for all her meals for a couple days.
The ETrade barfing baby (and others) is a cute gimmick and I really like them.
The DQ kid is okay, sort of funny, his laugh is a killer. Not sure of the purpose though, seems like it's meant to make the guy look like an idiot which isn't nice.

Mircat, Sacramento, CA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:22 PM)

Having a young baby, I'm not thrilled with the ETrade barfing baby so you aren't alone, and you mentioned DQ, but not the one I found particularly offensive. In it Mom and Pre-Teen Daughter are ordering, Daughter gives a little smile and wave to a Pre-Teen Boy and then tells Mom she doesn't want anything. Cut to later and Boy sends Daughter a sundae. It's wrong to have a 10 year old using the old 'sex sells' to get her way with a boy and in our teach girls to be sex objects society, this is the wrong message a wholesome place like DQ should be sending.

Jean, Alexandria VA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:30 PM)

I can't think of a single child that I have ever liked in a commercial. They just annoy me. Now I just don't watch TV.

Katy, Minneapolis, MN (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:33 PM)

I have to agree with you in general on the subject of annoying kids in commercials. Yes some are quite adorable, like the kids in the new Band-aid commercials, then others are just plain absurd. My personal pet peeve is any commercial that puts a yound child in front of the camera and has them recite a script they've memorized using words that kids that age don't use. The Welch's fruit juice commercials come to mind! And it's funny you mentions the waffle girl because the first time I ever saw that commercial, my first thought was, "How can she not like waffles?" lol. Great blog :o)

Christine, Philadelphia, Pa (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:34 PM)

I'm surprised there was no mention of the AARP commercial that uses kids to push the socialist geezers' agenda. Despicable!

David, Indiana (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:35 PM)

I love the eTrade baby, EXCEPT for when he barfs, and no, I don't have kids, though his reaction to barfing is kind of funny. He reminds me of Baby Bob for Quiznos (Patton Oswalt's voice coming out of a baby's mouth? Awesome). The 2 DQ commmericals with kids that I don't like are the one where the little girl gets a sundae from the kid across the room and the other one where another little girl plays DQ Drive-Thru with her unwitting dad. The first girl's reaction to getting said sundae from her admirer is horrible (she's what, no more than 8?). I feel like I'm watching Samantha from Sex and the City at a young age. Also, as seen in the DQ Drive Thru commerical, I hate that most men/fathers on TV are portrayed as dim-witted idiots that need their wives/families to do their thinking for them.

Eve, Las Vegas, NV (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:41 PM)

AHHHHHH Multi-Link Monday kept me going at work. It NEEDS to come back!
PS I loved the annual commercial debate...but since it's become a weekly thing, I have definitly lost interest.

Marissa, Phoenix AZ (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:49 PM)

I don't know if this commercial is nationally played or not, but I love, LOVE, LOVE the Kaiser ad with the little boy in the suit, talking about when he was younger, "...he got into some bad habits, hung out with the wrong people, neglected his relationships...". Great!

Gina Claytor, Sacramento, CA (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:54 PM)

I love the Verizon Wireless Dead Zone Kids. They look like the twins in the shining. It is hilarious!!

Rebecca, Rome, Ga (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 12:58 PM)

Mostly kids in commercials bug me. And it's not because of the kids themselves. It's the snotty, disrespectful way they are portrayed. (just like the I-don't-like-waffles kid!) I usually use these as moments for me to tell my kiddo "If you EVER act like that.............."

KendallJaye (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:03 PM)

I don't pay too much attention ads to start with and especially to kids in any of the commercials. After all, my kids were and my grandchildren are the cutest and most clever kids ever. The e-Trade ads are clever, minus the barfing, and the baby is cute, but my life wouldn't suffer without the ad, and I have no interest in the product. I don't think I've ever purchased anything because of a TV ad, kid or no kid.

Peg, Albany, NY (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:08 PM)

Ugh. I hate that Pediasure ad. That kid is an utter brat. I think it should have been an ad for migraine medicine. Other ads I hate in the "cute kid" category are those in which kids drop sticky syrups and make other such wonderful messes and patiently wait for the ever-smiling mom to come clean it up with a magical paper towel. The normal response would be to try to clean it up yourself but I guess only un-cute kids have to stoop that low. The Dairy Queen ad in which the little boy buys the little girl a sundae is pretty disturbing too. The way the little girl says, "That was too easy" to her mom gives me scary visions of her future.

Devyani, Houston, TX (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:11 PM)

There is a local commercial in Cleveland for Lube Stop that makes me cringe every time I hear it. There is a scroll of text on the screen, with different kids narrating the scroll as it changes. I can't stand it because it sounds like the kids are using put-on, childish little baby voices. It makes me want to scream!!

Liz Cleveland OH (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:19 PM)

I LOVE the DQ commercial where the mom and daughter are ordering and the little girl says to just order one. The mom thinks they are going to share and about that time the "waiter" brings over another icecream from the gentleman in the donkey shirt...like shooting fish in a barrel!! Love IT.

Joy Dempsey, Columbus, OH (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:22 PM)

As a pediatrician, I am most offended by the pediasure commercial since it implies that pediasure is a helpful nutritional supplement for normal children. In fact, pediasure has 50% more calories than whole milk and is meant as a supplement for underweight children. I have treated more than one obese toddler whose parents turned out to be giving them multiple cans of pediasure daily as a nutritional hedge.

Lynn, Cleveland, OH (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:25 PM)

I hate the DQ commercial with the little girl flirting. Girls don't need to learn that sex sells QUITE that early. The only commercial I've ever really liked wasn't kid-centric, but it had a teenager and her mom "arguing", but it was more like the teen says "Why do you always give me what I want?" and the mom goes "Because you insist on acting responsibly!" Or something like that. It's cute, I think for a cellphone? Otherwise, have kids, especially little ones, act like grown ups is really cloying and never makes me want to get whatever product they are hawking.

Jessica, El Paso, TX (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:28 PM)

I just wish the ad agencies would understand that having kids in a commercial does not automatically make it a winner. It's like they have a formula that says we need an ad for this so let's throw in a kid, maybe a singing kitten, and there's your ad - without thinking about things like the intended market of the product.

I like the DQ baby commercial, but the Pediasure whiner and the e-Trade barfing baby send me in the opposite direction of what would be intended by a good marketing agency.

wrp, Little Rock, Arkansas (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:33 PM)

I like the Volvo commercial where the father puts his daughter in the back seat and she just doesn't stop talking. It reminds me of my 6 year old daughter who does the same thing.

Craig, NY (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:38 PM)

I like the eTrade baby ads but is it my imagination or have they toned down the amount of "spit up" from when the ad first aired? I like the one with clown and the one where he's getting text messaged and called from a girl. Hillarious! I do hate to see kids being disrespectful and rude in commercials, but I would rather see that any day than the not one, but TWO ads that feature the dog wiping his butt on the carpet (Stanley Steamer and AT&T). Yuck!

Jamison, Lawrenceburg, Ky. (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:42 PM)

I'm with "NateBob" on the Welch's commercials...children of the corn man. Also, the barfing etrade kid is great, but it may be because I have no barfing etrade kids of my own.

Tyler, nowhere, Nevada (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:45 PM)

Barfing e-Trade baby was gross, but the other commercial that DIDN'T get as much airtime, but was way funnier was the version were he rented a clown with his newly made money.

"I underestimated the creepy factor."

Haley, Vincennes, IN (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:46 PM)

I'm sick of the Burger King commercial. As soon as the Burger King kid comes into the kitchen and kicks Burger King dad in the shin....I don't find anything funny about that commercial. It must have played 10x an hour over the weekend.

Elle, Las Vegas (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:50 PM)

Totally agree with Nate Bob about those Welch's grape juice ads. For some reason they both creeped me out and annoyed me at the same time...

I hate that e-trade baby and barfing in ads is just disgusting! Honestly all the "talking" babies commercials are so old after that first one done several years back of "baby Bob" (I can't remember what it was for).

Julie, Nashville, TN (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 1:52 PM)

I have kids and I can't stand some of these commercials. The barfing Etrade baby is gross and the "I don't like it kid" is obnoxious. (No parent I know lets their kid get away with that kind of sass.) The DQ commercial with the little girl is really inappropriate.

Some of them are cute - the mother and the daughter dressed up going to McDonalds is sweet, and is promoting their healthier choices like salads and apples. For me, the key is are the appropriate to what the company and the product and the age of the children in them.

Have to agree on the singing though - kids should not sing in commercials EVER!

Wendy, Denver, CO (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:12 PM)

My 2 1/2 year old granddaughter won't touch a waffle or a pancake, no matter how much syrup is on it. Some children actually do eat what is healthy - like fruit - for breakfast. And yes, she does get a Pediasure every morning.

Linda, Jacksonville, FL (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:16 PM)

I hate when the parents own a business and have their children doing commercials for them in that whiney, baby tone. HATE IT. We have one that is local where the baby girl brat says "Cheerio" at the end of it, I want to slap her.

Tammy Carter, Brewton, AL (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:16 PM)

Worst kid in a commercial? The Burger King king's kid, who kicks him in the shins and grabs his burger. Horrible!

c holman, charlotte, nc (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:25 PM)

I think some people need to lighten up. The Pediasure kid is disrespectful? I'm betting that none of you whining about it have ever taken a child that age to the grocery store. If all your child does is say they don't like this or that, consider it a blessing.

It may not be amusing but geez...it's hardly an offense to civility.

CJR, Iowa (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:37 PM)

I can always mute the commercials, or just not watch. What annoys me is when I'm in real life situations such as a restaurant, store or other public place and a childs parents let their children run rampant even breaking things. I was in a fast food chain at lunchtime and a set of parents set their barefoot child STANDING on top of the condiment counter, while they got their napkins ketchup etc. I wasn't going to complain about the child being barefoot in the restaurant till then. But once they put their kids filthy feet onto that counter I got the manager and let them know that if they didn't clean the area RIGHT AWAY. The health dept would be called. Of course the mother cursed me out when they were asked to leave. But hey if you don't know enough to keep your childs bare feet off of where other people have to set their food trays, you must be one great parent.

GFT (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:39 PM)

Ugh, there is a local commercial in Houston for Hilton Furniture, and the owner always has his kids with him in the commercials. He actually named his daughter Paris Hilton (and she was definitely born after people unfortunately became familiar with that name) and is always trying to sell customers on the Paris Jade Collection. Please!

Another local gem is for The Hand Center, and the doctor has his wife and all his kids sitting around him, and when he finishes his speech, one of his daughters jumps up into his lap and squeaks out "Daddy's baby girl!" It makes me want to projectile vomit.

Ashley, Houston, TX (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:40 PM)

I agree with most of you who say kids in commercials are obnoxious. I'm sure everyone likes the first commercial, and by the 4 or 5th time, it's time for the mute button. Talk about overkill! I use my mute button A LOT these days. Half the time even if it's cute the first time around, you can't remember what the commercial was about. And we're turning our little girls into sluts! "Like shooting fish in a barrel"??? How disgusting is that? Cheating your own father?

Susan, Honolulu, Hawaii (Sent Monday, July 21, 2008 2:48 PM)

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Kids in commercials: Adorable or obnoxious?

Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under: TV commercials

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Kids in commercials: Adorable or obnoxious?

Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper Filed Under: TV commercials

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Posted: Monday, July 21, 2008 6:00 AM by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
Filed Under: TV commercials