House hippo
Encyclopedia
The house hippo is the subject of a Canadian television
public service announcement
(PSA) produced by Concerned Children's Advertisers
(CCA). Their stated intent is to educate children about critical thinking
with regard to what they see in television advertising, and to make children aware of how gullible they can be and to teach them to not believe everything they hear.
The narration of the piece is in the style of a Hinterland Who's Who
spot, and goes as follows:
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
public service announcement
Public service announcement
A public service announcement or public service ad is a type of advertisement featured on television, radio, print or other media...
(PSA) produced by Concerned Children's Advertisers
Concerned Children's Advertisers
Concerned Children's Advertisers is the name of a Canadian non-profit organization based in Toronto, founded in 1990. It is famous for producing over 30 public service announcements, covering topics such as drug abuse, conformity, self-esteem, and bullying. Each PSA ends with a big exclamation...
(CCA). Their stated intent is to educate children about critical thinking
Critical thinking
Critical thinking is the process or method of thinking that questions assumptions. It is a way of deciding whether a claim is true, false, or sometimes true and sometimes false, or partly true and partly false. The origins of critical thinking can be traced in Western thought to the Socratic...
with regard to what they see in television advertising, and to make children aware of how gullible they can be and to teach them to not believe everything they hear.
The narration of the piece is in the style of a Hinterland Who's Who
Hinterland Who's Who
Hinterland Who's Who is best known as a series of 60-second public service announcements profiling Canadian animals and birds, produced by Environment Canada Wildlife Service and the National Film Board of Canada in the 1960s and 70s, and re-launched by the Canadian Wildlife Federation in the 2000s...
spot, and goes as follows:
- "It's night time in a kitchen just like yours; all is quiet, or is it?"
- "The North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n houseHouseA house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
hippoHippopotamusThe hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
is found throughout CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and the Eastern United StatesEastern United StatesThe Eastern United States, the American East, or simply the East is traditionally defined as the states east of the Mississippi River. The first two tiers of states west of the Mississippi have traditionally been considered part of the West, but can be included in the East today; usually in...
. House hippos are very timid creatures and they are rarely seen, but they will defend their territory if provoked. They come out at night to search for food, water, and materials for their nests."
- "The favourite foods of the house hippo are chipPotato chipPotato chips are thin slices of potato that are deep fried...
s, raisins and the crumbs from peanut butterPeanut butterPeanut butter is a food paste made primarily from ground dry roasted peanuts, popular in North America, Netherlands, United Kingdom, and parts of Asia, particularly the Philippines and Indonesia. It is mainly used as a sandwich spread, sometimes in combination as in the peanut butter and jelly...
on toastToastToast is bread that has been browned by exposure to radiant heat. This browning reaction is known as the Maillard reaction. Toasting warms the bread and makes it firmer, so it holds toppings more securely...
."
- "They build their nests in bedroomBedroomA bedroom is a private room where people usually sleep for the night or relax during the day.About one third of our lives are spent sleeping and most of the time we are asleep, we are sleeping in a bedroom. To be considered a bedroom the room needs to have bed. Bedrooms can range from really simple...
closets using lost mittens, dryer lint and bits of string. The nests have to be very soft and warm; house hippos sleep about 16 hours a day."
- That looked really real, but you knew it couldn't be true, didn't you? That's why it's good to think about what you're watching on TV, and ask questions, kind of like you just did.
- A message from Concerned Children's Advertisers.
External links
- CCA's Media Literacy PSAs (including House Hippo)
- The PSA in QuickTime format, as well as behind-the-scenes text prompts
- The PSA without behind-the-scenes text prompts: Windows Media, Quicktime