Terrify the children into respecting the roadThere's something really creepy and awesome about these "Tales of the Road" animated rhyming PSAs from Leo Burnett London, encouraging kids in the U.K. to be safe near roadways. They have a great Edward Gorey/Gashlycrumb Tinies feel to them. The top one tells the sad tale of "The Boy Who Didn't Stop, Look and Listen." The bottom one bemoans the fate of "The Girl Who Didn't Dress Bright in the Dark." The actual inspiration for the campaign was evidently the Edwardian poet Hilaire Belloc, whose "Cautionary Tales" attempted to frighten young children into doing the right thing. (They included such timeless classics as "Matilda, Who told lies, and was burned to death" and "Jim, who ran away from his nurse, and was eaten by a lion.") We can barely wait for the third spot in the series: "The Boy Who Didn't Find a Safe Place to Cross." |
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January 8, 2009 in Europe, Freaky, Leo Burnett, Nudd, PSAs, Road safety | Permalink |
Comments
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I would have loved these as a kid...probably to the point of paying attention while crossing the street. Direct and disturbing in that totally delicious way.
Then again, I was strange as a child.
Posted by: sleeping in my party dress | Jan 8, 2009 4:25:44 PM
And now the girl who didn't dress bright has a reason to be so emo and whiny.
It occurs to me that Belloc might have had a lot in common with Heinrich Hoffmann, of Der Struwwelpeter fame:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struwwelpeter
Posted by: Warren | Jan 8, 2009 4:56:54 PM
I love it a very nice scare tactic and this is exactly what the younger generations need.. Cleaning
Posted by: Patrick | Jan 12, 2009 9:03:33 AM
