Towards the end of this kind of cheesy but fun live-action video about a quartet of muscular superheroes who are trying to help a kid named Jamie beef up his confidence and self-esteem along with his pecs, I was surprised to see an advertisement for Green Magma (a body-building product). I know that this kind of thing happens every Saturday morning with licensed cartoon characters up the wazoo, but in my book a program that pushes ingestible substances at kids--other than cereal--is another thing entirely. It's a marketing ploy reminiscent of the old Charles Atlas ads found at the back of comics. And it's meant to play directly on the insecurities of pre-adolescent boys who are getting pushed around at school. The commercial aspect here outweighs the message aspect--which is pretty simplistic anyway and delivered in superhero monotone using caveman-syntax. A free exercise video is included with the tape, but the aerobics is totally unstructured and the camera moves around way too much to provide decent exercise instruction. Not recommended. Aimed at ages 6-12. (R. Pitman)
Superheroes Of Fitness: Breaking New Ground
(1995) 2 videocassettes, 39/30 min. $29.95. Pantheon Home Video. PPR. Color cover. ISBN: 1-878074-008. Vol. 10, Issue 5
Superheroes Of Fitness: Breaking New Ground
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