Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Just Like Dad ! (?)


I saw these a while ago while traveling. They were in the candy section of a gift shop in - of all places - Ogden, Utah. I had no idea that candy cigarettes were still on the market. Beyond being continually fascinated by candy I was really drawn to these mostly due to the packaging. Now let me just say, I have been known to have a cigar on occasion, so this is not a anti smoking rant - but - the visual image is so powerful I thought it deserved mention. The bright, vivid red packs of candy cigarettes jump out from amongst the chaos of other candy. A small boy literally looks up to his dad whose gleaming smile clinches a smoking cigarette while the gold label exclaims "Just Like Dad!" If it weren't just so problematic, it would be pretty humorous and just a touch "retro hip." But really it is just a little frightening.
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Each day, nearly 6,000 children under 18 years of age start smoking; of these, nearly 2,000 will become regular smokers. That is almost 800,000 annually. (American Lung Association)

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