What were you thinking, Animal Planet?
On Friday night, I sat down with my kids, ages 11 and 7, to catch an episode of Tanked. My son, 11, loves Tanked and all the amazing fish tanks displayed on the show.
Slightly before 8pm, during a commercial break, Animal Planet decides it was the perfect time to run an ad for “Big Driver”, a hellacious TV movie on Lifetime about some murderer who tortures women before killing them.
Yup, Animal Planet, that’s a brilliant, brilliant plan!
As a bloodied, tortured woman runs across the screen, I screamed at my kids to duck and cover. They assumed the fetal position with their hands over their eyes. My son cries out, “Tell me when it’s over!”
Well, let me just wait til I’m sure it’s over kids.
Okay, there’s a bloody woman running for her life on the street. Now the bloody woman is running for her life in the woods. Okay, now the bloody woman is being dragged through water across what looks like dead female corpses. Okay, now there’s a gun. Then some knives. Okay, there’s a scary huge guy who hurts women, and SO ON.
After what feels like an eternity, I give the all clear.
Then My kids and I finish watching the program about awesome fish tanks.
WTH, Animal Planet?!?
But that’s not all.
Saturday morning dawns and my family finds an adorable, family-friendly show on Animal Planet. We catch two episodes of “World’s Cutest Cats” between 10 am and noon. Lo and behold, at 11:53 am on a Saturday morning, during a show filled with fluffy kittens doing pratfalls and adorable antics, Animal Planet plays the freakin’ “Big Driver” promo again with all its bloody women, scary guy, knives and guns glory.
So I ask, WHAT WERE YOU THINKING ANIMAL PLANET? Do you want me to watch your fluffy kitten and fish tank programming, which seems appropriate for kids, or NOT? Because if you keep showing inappropriate, dare I say it evil promos about a movie that no child on earth should see, then I will boycott Animal Planet in my house and warn all other families to do the same!
Phew. I’m glad I got that off my chest.
What about you? Do you notice inappropriate ads during kids’ programming? What do you think of Animal Planet’s actions?
Image courtesy of Artemis Photo/Freedigitalphotos.net.
There’s nothing worse than sitting down for a family show and then having to yell to kids to cover their eyes because something inappropriate pops out of the wood works..my kids love animal planet hopefully this will not be a regular thing.
I think whoever owns Animal Planet (Discovery?) also owns all these other channels and they cross-promote. I’m pretty sure that unless they have someone with common sense running the station that they WILL do something stupid like this again!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Animal Planet DID WHAT?
That’s horrible! We watch those types of shows too. Honestly that scares me because that’s the type of show I would think I could let my kids watch by themselves! What if you hadn’t been there?? WTH, Animal Planet!?!
Rabia @TheLiebers recently posted…Bugs Beware!
Oh, Rabia, when I first typed up this rant, I titled it “WTH Animal Planet?” I love that you agree!!
Katy @ Experienced Bad Mom recently posted…Animal Planet DID WHAT?
“Duck and cover” during an Animal Planet show? That should be referring to a shot of a momma Mallard placidly paddling under a fern, demonstrating to her chicks how to seek shelter in days of extreme heat.
I’m with you on the concerned front about the exposure of this stuff to your kids. We were picking up a video game for my son a few years back (he was probably 16) and watched in shock as a grandmother insisted on buying her grandson “Grand Theft Auto.” He looked about 5. The poor clerk kept saying “Ma’am this isn’t appropriate for him. It’s got way too much violence.” But she insisted. I’d like to think she and her grandson went home and immediately popped that sucker in and played a quick game so she had proof of her egregious error but suspect I’m being silly ….
Kelly l m kenzie recently posted…Corn Maze Hell Over At Coach Daddy
Yes! We’ve noticed this too. We were watching something with the kids, and they kept advertising Naked and Afraid. They barely cover up anything with those censor boxes. “Mom! Why are they naked? Is that her butt under there? What are they afraid of? Are they scared because the don’t have pants?”
Colleen @MommieDaze recently posted…Big Fish Stories and a Fall Getaway to Traverse City
It is for this very reason that my family said goodbye to cable 3 years ago! I’ve tried to watch football on my antenna and always always have to give up after just a few minutes. I’m sorry, but I just don’t feel the need to show my sons the near-constant images of war, death, guns, and torture that accompany every single commercial break. After you cut the cable cord, the invasion of violent images through promos and commercials becomes that much more noticeable.
Greg recently posted…Love this time of year! Fall foliage AND a full moon? How lucky…
I used to DVR all those shows when the kids were younger just so I could fast forward through commercials. It only takes one time watching a Viagra commercial with your Middle school age son to warp everyone’s brains.
Meg Hammil recently posted…Staring at the Page (The Poet is Blocked)
Ugh, how terrible! I think you’re right that it’s a cross-network-promoting issue, but that doesn’t make it any better!
Katie @ Pick Any Two recently posted…Baked Pasta with Chicken Sausage
I don’t necessarily think that the commercial should be banned altogether because different people like different things. With that said, I think it’s very poor taste that stations air commercials and promos like that during prime time kids viewing time. Kids shouldn’t be subjected to that.
Terra Heck recently posted…The Principle Gang Series – Children’s Book Review and Giveaway
I agree. The previews and commercials should be rated the same as the show you are watching. I can’t believe some of the commercials they have to. There was a commercial the other day with two bikini girls leaning and sitting on a car, not looking like the example I want my little girls to see, and it turned out to be a commercial for Hardee’s. What?!
Stephanie recently posted…Have you taught your child to fear?
What?! Indeed! I really don’t know what they are thinking sometimes or whose in charge of the advertising!
Advertising going very, very wrong indeed! Did you send this link to them?
Jen recently posted…Return of Man-day- Daddy Reality
I did, plus I tweeted them on the Saturday a.m. when I saw the commercial. Never heard a word back from them!
That is so wrong. I really don’t watch tv and my kids are older but I think that the rating of the advertising should match the show that is airing. So fluffy kittens gets family friendly commercials. It really doesn’t make sense…most people would feel like animal planet was safe to let their kids watch alone. I know that is the sort of show I would have let my kids watch back when and not given it a second thought. Shame on them.
Michelle recently posted…30+ Soup Recipes to Warm the Soul
OHMYGOSH I have SEEN THAT PREVIEW!!!! What on EARTH is it doing THERE??!!!! This is awful…. totally gruesome and I would have said the same thing to my kids! Shame on Animal Planet!!!
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