So that’s where “we’ll be right back” comes from . . .

Any child of the eighties will instantly think of the bumpers, those short clips run before and after commercial breaks that reminded the kid of which cartoon he was watching. I’d never really put much thought into those before, but in this January, 1987 article in Working Mother magazine we’re very clearly told why those bumpers even existed:

“One regulation regarding advertising to children that is strictly enforced by the broadcast industry is the requirement that there be “bumpers” before and after ads–such as “We will return to our program right after these messages” and “Now, back to our show.” The bumpers are there “to help kids understand the distinction between advertising and entertainment,” says Dr. [Rita] Weiskoff [vice president and director of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit].”

I suspect that Dr. Weiskoff and the FCC would be unhappy to learn that the advertisements were, when well-produced, as entertaining as the cartoons. I can’t be the only one who used the VCR to record as many commercials as I did cartoons as a child, right?

Sorry, well-meaning adults of the eighties, but kids of the age loved both the cartoons and the commercials. I hope our having fun didn’t wreck society so much that it never recovers.

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