Introduction: This time period was the Great Depression, World War Two and the beginning of the Cold War. The Great Depression caused children to not have toys or new clothes or be able to go to school. The war brought the idea of fighting for democracy into the average American homes once again. Children thought the war to be fun and was often an encouraged idea. The War changed education and brought more students into schools to act as day cares while their fathers were off fighting and their mothers working in the factories. Mass production of goods led to an increase of toys and games for children. The Cold War changed what we feared in our schools. General advancements in technology made it possible to spread educational ideas through videos in school.
Media for Children: Advertisements were no longer just for clothing or food. Children's toys were now being manufactured in factories using mass production and assembly lines. Advertisements were made to show kids how much better their lives would be with this new toy and how popular they would be. At this time there were girl toys and boy toys. The kitchen set (as seen in the Ad) was meant for a girl to encourage her to be a housewife or a doll so she would care more for her children. Boys would receive toys such as trains, cars or guns to encourage war or working. Kitchen Set Advertisement- This is what an average toy ad would look like. There was not often color advertisements due to the cost of mass production of papers.
This is one of the first advertisements aimed at children. Toys were becoming more and more popular and were more affordable for the average American family.
These toys began to apply "gender roles" even earlier in life by making them fun. Although these roles were already applied, toys fortified the boundaries.
We have discussed in class about assembly lines and mass production
Children of War: War was glorified in the United States. Children were taught to want to fight in wars and want to battle for the sake of democracy. Children would "play war" digging trenches and killing each other with fake guns. Especially during and after World War Two, children wanted to "defeat the communists" or "kill Hitler". Children Having Their Own War- These children have spent their time digging a "trench" in order to pretend to be the Allies and defeat the Axis powers.
This is one of the major effects that the war had on young children. These children couldn't buy toys or get extra food so this is what they did for fun.
We have learned about war propaganda and how the war can affect the home front even if it's not near the battlefront.
Education: The Cold War was just beginning after World War Two. Along with those fire drills and tornado or earthquake drills there was another natural disaster drill. There were nuclear bombing drills where children would hide under their desks in case the Soviet Union attacked. In hindsight that wouldn't have done very much as they would have been disintegrated if the school was the bombing site. There was also the beginning of educational films. They were the beginnings of the classic messages that we see today. School Picture- This is a class picture from a school in Savannah. The school was built to accommodate the rapid increase of families in the major port city during World War Two.
This image represents how education was changing. This school picture is much larger than pictures we saw during the 1920s.
This links to World War Two and how it changed the home front including the education.
Coronet Videos- These videos were meant to educate kids, teens and college students on how to live life the proper way.
This shows what was important in these times and how it was portrayed.
This is how the film companies and media move into the classroom.