Narrowed eyes of a small child stare into lifeless glass orbs embedded into the face of a doll, waiting for them to blink. Later, the same child spies from a hidden location, trying to catch sight of a teddy bear’s movement, no matter how miniscule. This experience is relatable to every American child who had access to a television since 1995– but why? The answer is simple: the Toy Story tetralogy. If a movie can inspire kids to set up elaborate plans to catch their toys coming to life, it begs the question: what else could they influence them to do? This essay will explore how the first Toy Story movie socializes children by exposing them to American values, norms, gender roles, and gender stereotypes. Values are the ideas society believes …show more content…
One of the norms that Toy Story shows is that law enforcement officers are trustworthy. When Buzz first “lands” in Andy’s room and meets Woody, he immediately trusts him and is glad to see him because his badge says “Sheriff.” This teaches children that police officers are there to help and can be fully trusted, which is viewed very differently across certain cultures in America. For some, trusting law enforcement is considered a more or folkway, but to others, regarding police in a positive light is considered taboo and can be received with negative sanctions. Another example of a norm taught by Toy Story is to wear a seatbelt. When Woody and Buzz get into the Pizza Planet delivery car, Buzz gets in the front seat because “there are no restraining harnesses in the cargo area [and they will] be much safer in the cockpit” (Toy). Right after that is said, the car takes off and Woody is literally thrown around like a rag doll in the back while Buzz is sitting contently with his seatbelt on. This shows kids that if one does not wear a seatbelt, one will get hurt. While this never used to be a norm, wearing a seatbelt became mandated by law in the 80s. Since then, it has become a more in the eyes of both the law and the