Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Boy Games & Coloring Pages

The game section for "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" on Disneyjunior.com includes games based on themes of heroism and piracy. In "Jake's Heroic Race" Jake and his crew must race their ship against Captain Hook's and complete activities such as launching coconuts in the "Coconut Cannon Challenge." This continual emphasis on sports forces boys to accept this behavior as society sees appropriate. Jake is seen as a hero, usually only attributed to a male figure, because he sailed his ship fast and beat Captain Hook and his goons. In "Pirate Crew Hideout" the aspiring pirate gets to choose his favorite sword and eye patch. This focus on a pirate being a male reinforces gender construction. The myth of  the pirate continues because young boys are taught to want to be pirates and ascribing to their characteristics: mischievous and devious.

The coloring section on "Jake and the Neverland Pirates" includes subjects such as heros, treasure chests, swords and pirate princesses. The subject of the hero is fantasized by the titles : "Be Brave, Confident, Loyal, Helpful and Kind." The characteristics ascribed to being a hero made me think about the "Leader Characteristic Survey" we took earlier on in the semester. It was interesting to me to compare and contrast our findings with Disney Junior's definition. The inclusion of a pirate princess template encourages a young boy to create his ideal woman. 

http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior/jake-and-the-never-land-pirates/jake-and-the-never-land-pirates-games/

http://disney.go.com/disneyjunior/jake-and-the-never-land-pirates/jake-and-the-never-land-pirates-coloring-create

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