Cereal Vice Reward: Difference between revisions

For all the struggles over making sure normal television shows have "[[Moral Guardians|positive influences]]", [[Double Standard|commercials seem exempt from this]].

 

 

The main message seems to be that, as long as it helps you acquire their cereal, the ends justify the means. Interestingly, the fact that it's the ''adults'' who buy the kids the cereal is completely lost. This may be because they're [[Animation Age Ghetto|expected to not be watching]].

The opposite of this trope (sort of) is [[Delicious Fruit Pies]].

 

 

* The kids in "[[Trix]]" ads take delight in making certain the Trix Rabbit ''never'' gets any of the cereal. If he ever gets a box, even if he ''[http://www.bash.org/?75154 bought it with his own money]'', they take it away from him, telling him "silly rabbit, Trix are for kids!". In one early, early, EARLY commercial, he actually got away with the pilfered cereal by hiding it -- "And sometimes for tricky rabbits!". There have been events where people could vote whether he could have some. He's always won, but often, he still only gets to enjoys a couple of spoonfuls before the kids take it away again - either that or he eats it all in one go, only to find the kids won't let him get any more.

** A [[Bait and Switch]] commercial had the Trix Rabbit buy a box of the cereal from a convenience store, and then go into his kitchen late at night, removing the disguise, and pointing out that all the kids are asleep and he can finally get a bowl of delicious Trix! Cue him pouring the milk, which has only a single drop. Rabbit does a wild take, then a black screen: ''Got Milk?''

* A macaroni commercial has the ''adults'' behaving badly and being rewarded, such as sending their kids to bed without dinner so they can enjoy extra mac-and-cheese.

* This entry's more of a "hamburger vice reward", but this Steak & Shake commercial otherwise fits quite well. It shows a weird-looking man surrounded by his wife's (frankly pretty creepy) collection of penguin memorabilia. He accidentally breaks one such statuette, and gets shocked looks from his two [[Uncanny Valley|even weirder-looking]] younger kids, as well as the older daughter, who seems to be smiling cleverly like she ''wants'' him to get in trouble (must be getting a head start on the "moody ungrateful teenager" phase). Then it cuts to the family of weirdos sitting at Steak & Shake, and this tagline comes up: "Broken Penguin + 4 Meals Under $4 = What Broken Penguin?" Thank God for TIVO.

** Parodied by ''[[The Onion]]'' with [http://www.theonion.com/articles/mcdonalds-drops-hammurderer-character-from-adverti,127/ The Hammurderer].

* Another one where it's the parents keeping the kids from getting the cereal: UK commercials for Nestle Oats & More, which started off with the dad lying to his kids about the cereal and insisting they wouldn't like it, and eventually escalated to him building a secret room for it under the kitchen.