The minstrel show comes to your toy store
by Carmen Van Kerckhove
Buffoonery alert! This is one toy I won’t be buying for anyone. Check out this video about a new line of dolls called Frogz:
I found the company’s web site and the sales copy is even more barf-enducing:
Frogz Hip Hop – Ride Wit Me
These S’up, Playaz?! Check out who’s in the hizzy!! This FROG has got the clothes, the moves, and the style to buss a move on ya! Press the button, and watch ‘em dance to the funky beat.
Hat tip to AllHipHop.com.
If you’re reading this in an RSS reader and don’t see the video, please click on the post title.
Carmen Van Kerckhove is co-founder and president of
Nadia wrote:
given the racist history of representing black people as amphibious creatures in cartoons, i think these toys have a pretty clear message that can’t be denied. i just wonder, what was that toy company thinking?
Posted 06 Dec 2006 at 1:05 pm ¶
Stefanie wrote:
I’m at work and can’t play the video, but based on the description, I think I know what these are, because my Dad has one–someone gave it to him as a gift and of course he thinks it’s hilarious. It plays 50 Cent’s “In Da Club” and the frog dances around. If these are the frogs in the video, I wonder: It’s making fun of hip-hop culture. Does that make it racist, given that although hip-hop originated from Black Americans, not all Blacks identify with said culture and not all those who do are Black?
That ad copy makes me cringe!
Posted 06 Dec 2006 at 5:56 pm ¶
MizuWari wrote:
The real horror in all this is that now you can basically substitute a “z” for an “s” and have any word in the universe ending in an s “hip-hop-ified.” Or even worse, have it represent “talking Black.” It was cute the first year waaaaaaaaaaaaaay back, but now…it’s like fucking Starbucks on every corner. Just like the n-word, I am sick of it…but since it’s “cool…”
Back when I was a kid and saw those old Flinstones cereal commercials with Fred and Barney breakdancing, wearing baseball caps backwards and attempting to talk “street,” I knew it was the start of something insidious…I just never knew how far it would go!
Posted 06 Dec 2006 at 7:22 pm ¶
DarknessbUnnie wrote:
To the above poster, the entire Z thing is not new at all when it comes to children’s entertainment. This use of the letter always means a quick sell and buck and the entire Frogz thing is another toss in an a;ready overflowing barrle of crap things marketed towards kids. If you want something worse thatn Frogs….check out Trollz…with a fucking Z. Don’t think that blacks are spared in that show either…WE’RE NOT but I won’t sujest that you watch the show.
Back on point, I’m really sick of shit like this since I know I’m not the only one who thinks this is funny. I think it’s rather funny that we have merchandise which sterotypes blacks but we never see that much going about the other races of the world. I know that it is there but it’s like our ‘ways’ (or what people want to see when they think about black people) are only for entertainment values and nothing more. What the fuck man?
Posted 07 Dec 2006 at 11:13 am ¶
S wrote:
My goodness! I wonder how many black activists are turning over in their graves because of the current state of a lot of black people and their actions after all they sacrificed for us…
Posted 07 Dec 2006 at 3:33 pm ¶