An Inclusive Litany

8/8/94

Congressman Henry Waxman of California has made a proposal to ban the use of cartoon figures such as Joe Camel in cigarette promotions.

[Ed.: A 1991 study, based on interviews with 23 Atlanta preschoolers, concluded that 90 percent of children were as aware of the cartoon camel as they were of Mickey Mouse. Other studies have failed to duplicate this finding. The Federal Trade Commission has been unable to prove that Joe Camel has lured a single teenager to begin or continue smoking. This should come as no surprise, since the aim of most advertising is to get a person already consuming a product to switch brands.]