New Way to Spoil Kids
- Posted by Johanna on December 5, 2006 at 2:14 pm
- Category: Comic News
Remember those books you used to be able to buy at mall kiosks, where you picked a story and gave them your child’s name, and the kid got back a book with her name inserted? So the kid could read about how she and Wonder Woman went on an adventure together?
Welcome to the modern era. Marvel and PixFusion’s Kideo
will be producing the photo-personalized Spider-Man video “I Am the Amazing Spider-Man”. Using PixFusion’s patented technology, Kideo can digitally insert the face of a child directly into the video taken from a photograph mailed or e-mailed to Kideo by a a parent or loved one.
According to the website (link no longer available),
Your child stars as “Spider-Man”™ in this personalized cartoon adventure from Kideo! Your child becomes the web-slinger himself, fighting crime spidey style! Your child swings into action defeating villains such as Lizard, King Pin, and more!
I guess that only applies if your child is male, though. (And isn’t that Kingpin? Not the ruler of sharp fasteners?)
Seriously, this is cooler than simply accompanying a hero, and besides, I can’t think of any Marvel women that would be appropriate for such a thing. (Storm, maybe, although there you’ll run into institutional racism. Jean Grey would be boring, since she just thinks at things. Electra? She-right. Not in those costumes, not for kids.) At $40 for a 30-minute DVD, it seems like an affordable special gift.
PS A very nice marketing person got back to me with the information that the company recommends their Dora the Explorer product for girls or the Care Bears for both sexes, although those are back to the “hang out with” model instead of the “be the hero” approach.
December 5, 2006 at 4:27 pm
Maybe Spider-Girl?
December 5, 2006 at 4:34 pm
Well, I thought about that, but I think that would be seen as a inferior copy of the “real” male version. (Although the character exists, I don’t think she’s known outside the comic market.) I was trying to think of a female character that’s well-known in her own right through media.
December 5, 2006 at 4:43 pm
Why am I suddenly reminded of Fahrenheit 451? Next thing you know, newscasters will be addressing us by name. ;P
December 5, 2006 at 6:25 pm
Johanna: I thought the same thing as you….but that was still the best I could come up with (at least via Marvel).
December 5, 2006 at 8:40 pm
Rivkah, that would make some of the current crop of personality-driven cable news anchors more than a little spooky.
December 5, 2006 at 9:37 pm
O_o I’m glad I don’t watch TV. I’m scared to know why. o_o
December 6, 2006 at 1:03 pm
Hmm I was thinking perhaps Spider-woman, but those cartoons are pretty darn old now.
She-Hulk probably falls in that too…
Oh, what about Invisible Girl/Woman, with the FF movies and toon?
December 6, 2006 at 10:54 pm
Spider-Man? So.. Do we get to see our girlfriend killed by our greatest enemy? Or kill her accidently ourselves? Maybe watch our die?
What’s next? Charlie Brown?
December 7, 2006 at 11:15 am
Rogue? Better known now through the X-men movies.
Of course, all you do is submit a photo they insert in the proper spot, and provide the child’s first name. (Some videos use that name, I’m not sure this one does.) There’s nothing that says you can’t submit a girl’s picture.
December 7, 2006 at 11:24 am
hee hee hee — Spider-Man with a ponytail! or braids!
December 7, 2006 at 4:38 pm
If you sent them the money, they’d probably create a DVD for you with a photo of your pet.