Once Upon A Time, GE Really Did Bring Good Things To Life.

There's nothing quite as insidious — or as great — as marketing to kids.


Here's how it worked circa 1966.

You saw this ad someplace — just in time for Halloween. Then you pestered the absolute crap out of some adult (the copywriter suggested "your father or mother or aunt or uncle or grandmother or grandfather") so they'd take you to a G-E TV dealer just to shut you up. Then, sly dog that you were, you'd get an "all-new, all-color Batmask FREE."

One side was Batman.


And if you flipped it over, it was Robin. How cool is that?


But how many kids actually wanted to be Robin? "Sure, sis, you can play. But, uh, you gotta be Robin."