Swedish TV unveils another ridiculously twee sex ed video

They've done it again. Swedish Television’s Bacillakuten, a show about health for preschoolers, has followed up their viral video about sex organs with one about conception:

It's not quite as catchy as its predecessor, but it does have anthropomorphic sperm.

But is it too cute for its own good? Maybe. I recall my only Swedish friend, Åsk Wappling from Adland, hated the first video's made-up names for genitals. And I think she has a point. The sex education curriculum where I live — in Ontario, Canada — is presently being updated to include teaching kids in Grade One the appropriate names for their genitals. You'd think that sexually-progressive Swedes would demand no less than real biology.

When will the rest of the world get a cool genital jingle?

When I was a teen, I stumbled upon an old book about sex education in Sweden in a used book store. To be honest, I probably bought it for the boobies. But I was also impressed by what I saw as an attempt to give kids and teens positive messages about their bodies, their physical autonomy, and their right to choose what was right for them.

I was reminded of this when the "Snoppen och snippan" video appeared in my newsfeeds.



Catchy, isn't it? With dancing penises and vulvas.

According to Metro, as made for Swedish children’s programme Bacillakuten, using childish words for the organs, ‘snipp’ and ‘snopp’

Some of the lyrics translate as: ‘Here comes the penis at full pace’, and: ‘the vagina is cool, you better believe it, even on an old lady. It just sits there so elegantly’. (They reportedly sound much less weird in Swedish).

I don't think it's weird, and I'm not even Swedish.

The admin of the DosFamily Facebook community explains further:

This is the trailer song from a children's Tv show currently showing in Sweden at the moment. The show is about the body and things that happens with it. Different doctors explains about what happens when you get ill or how do the food system works or colds or what happen when you break a leg... Every episode get an own song for the things they talk about and apparently soon it will be about Snoppen & snippan.

You can see the original post and discussion (in Swedish) at the SVT Barnkanalen page.

Now I just wish they had something like this for English-speaking kids.

(Thanks to Bé for sharing additional info)

This year, Sweden's favourite Christmas tradition got a gender swap

Via Adland

Adland shared this seasonal Swedish mailer for retailer ICA featuring a boy in the traditional roleplay of female martyr Santa Lucia, and a girl as the traditionally male stjärngosse (a star boy). 

Åsk 'dabitch' Wäppling writes, "For people in the States: This is the equivalent to a boy homecoming queen. Not a transgender homecoming queen. Just a boy homecoming queen."

Personally, I like it. There is no mention of how traditionalists in Sweden reacted. dabitch quips, "They might still be in shock."

Femen take their protests to the next logical step

Uncensored version here.

Nude protest worlds are colliding. Ukrainian topless activists from Femen have joined forces with "Nude Photo Revolutionary" Aliaa Magda Elmahdy to protest the referendum on Egypt's new Islamist constitution and its poor stance on women's rights.

This time, however, they've gone full monty. And in wintry Stockholm, of all places.

(NUDITY IN VIDEO)



From their media release:

Today in the snowbound Stockholm the world has seen apocalyptic picture.  

International women's movement FEMEN and antiislamist Egyptian activist Alia al-Mahdi have called to say NO to Sharia constitution in Egypt! Before the decisive day of the referendum in Egypt activists came to the Embassy of Egypt in Stockholm to support Egyptian heroes who are resisting the sharia-dictatorial draft of the constitution of the president Morsi. FEMEN calls people  of Great Egypt to deny this religious bondage of newly appeared prophet Morsi and to give the chance for Egypt for the rightful democratic development. 

"Sharia is not a constitution" - it has been written on Alia's naked body. Her genitals have been covered by the poster shaped like Koran. The three posters in the hands of activists are the symbolic  religious books. In that way  FEMEN warns the world about the danger of the transformation secular constitution into religious. FEMEN warns muslim brother Morsi, if he gave an orders to shoot at his own people then his last resting will be the Nile with crocodiles, not the pyramids.  

Fuck off religious slavery! Viva freedom and human rights!

Both Femen and Ms. Elmahdy (the transcribed version of her name varies) have become polarizing figures in the women's movement. Some see them as shock tacticians who are exploiting their own sexuality for attention. Others (myself included) see them as activists who are acting out of desperation, using their bodies as weapons in their respective, extremely sexist, cultures. Their message is, "men think they own this — but it is mine to do with what I please."

Femen has been getting more extreme of late, lashing out against organized religion in their homeland. As a result of legal troubles, they recently moved some of their operations to Paris. I'm just happy to see them all somewhat safer in Western Europe.

Ikea apologizes for editing women out of its Saudi catalogue

Via Washington Post

The Washington Post reports that Ikea has put itself in an awkward PR situation by digitally deleting images of women from the Saudi Arabia version of its catalogue.

Ikea’s Saudi catalogue, which is also available online, looks the same as other editions of the publication, except for the absence of women. 

One picture shows a family apparently getting ready for bed, with a young boy brushing his teeth in the bathroom. However, a pajama-clad woman standing next to the boy is missing from the Saudi version. 

Another picture of a five women dining has been removed altogether in the Saudi edition.

Back home in Sweden this was such a big deal that the country's Equality Minister, Nyamko Sabuni, commented on it, telling AP, “For Ikea to remove an important part of Sweden’s image and an important part of its values in a country that more than any other needs to know about about Ikea’s principles and values — that’s completely wrong.”

Ikea has since apologized in a statement, saying "We should have reacted and realized that excluding women from the Saudi Arabian version of the catalogue is in conflict with the IKEA Group values." The group responsible for the catalogue added, "We are now reviewing our routines to safeguard a correct content presentation from a values point-of-view in the different versions of the IKEA Catalogue worldwide."

AP ads:

Women appear only infrequently in Saudi-run advertising, mostly on Saudi-owned TV channels that show women in long dresses, scarves covering their hair and long sleeves. In imported magazines, censors black out many parts of a woman's body including arms, legs and chest.

International marketers are often challenged with trying to fit in to regional values while still maintaining global brand values. It wasn't the first time someone called out a big brand for caving to local sensitivities, and it won't be the last. But I think Ikea at least did the right thing by apologizing and promising to make good.

If you want to see more, Copyranter has a good collection of "before and after" images.

Fashion advertising gets the parody it deserves

"period pain"

Ever notice that high fashion models in magazine editorials look like they're in excruciating pain? Between the contorted poses that exude glamour and thinness, to the absent expressions on their faces, they just don't appear to be having any fun.

"backaches"

 This campaign for Sweden's NK Pharmacy uses this insight brilliantly, diagnosing the models with common ailments and offering product solutions from their store. I have nothing else to add. It's a prefect print campaign by Garbergs of Stockholm.

"cold sores"

"blisters"

Via I Believe in Advertising

The Amazing Spider-Pram: Redefining gendered toys

(Image via Fru K blog)

This image, from the recent toy catalogue of Swedish retailer Leklust, is getting a lot of play on social media right now for its image of a kid in a Spider-Man costume pushing a pink doll carriage.

As reported in The Local, Leklust CEO Kaj Wiberg told Metro, "Gender roles are an outdated thing... I'm 71 years old, and those of us who have worked in this industry for a while know that boys play with doll houses. We know that boys can play with Barbie dolls."

The catalogue has other non-stereotypical images as well:

Nice to see. I'd love to see more of it.

Real-life ad blockers strike Stockholm subway

A Swedish activist group posted this video of their shenanigans in the Stockholm subway, removing all ads from a train car and a station.



While I can appreciate a good civil disobedience, and I agree it's nice to have a little break from ad overload, the stunt is pretty obnoxious to anyone involved in public transit.

The group is quoted in Animal NY:

“Public transport is nothing you can compromise about. It is a vital part of the urban nervous system and is a public matter, a premise for the city’s economical and social life to function. The fact that public transport is too expensive is both a structural issue as well as a reality for individual people. It is not fair that a millionaire and an unemployed person has to pay as much for public transport. With tax-paid, fare-free, public transport everyone pays according to how much they can pay.”

I would love for buses, trains, etc. to be able to be fare- and ad-free too. That would be awesome. Seriously. But if even a country like Sweden has to supplement taxpayer funding by collecting fare and selling ad space, you can be pretty sure that is not happening in any capitalist country anytime soon.

I get it. They're anarchists. Me, I just want to be able to take the bus to work. And as a rider, I have a feeling any social action that costs the transit system revenue is going to end up coming out of my pocket.

But hey, have fun sticking it to all the wrong people.

And is this not also an ad?

Amnesty goes on tour with Swedish death metal band

According to PRWeek, Amnesty International has partnered with Swedish band Arch Enemy (above) to promote the cause of freedom of expression throughout their Khaos Over Europe tour.

Via PRWeek

From the release:

Head of art for Amnesty Jo Metcalf explained that partnerships with acts that have strong relationships with fans are a growing focus for the charity. 

‘Working with bands who have loyal supporters who listen when they say something is far more beneficial than talking to them in a general way,’ said Metcalf. ‘When Arch Enemy say something about freedom of expression it has a resonance with fans. That goes for bands from Arch Enemy to U2.’

That's a fairly wide range, wouldn't you say? But a great outreach for Amnesty.



Thanks to Jenn F. for sharing.

The only ad people worse than those obsessed with Cannes...

Are those obsessed with being "above" Cannes.

They could have also done a much, much better job executing this.

Via Ads of The World

Fully-dressed Swedes show us how much more sex they're having than we are

I knew it! I just knew it!

Via Ads of the World

For those of you who are cultural history geeks like me, you'll appreciate that this comes from a grand tradition of sex position lit, from the Kama Sutra to I Modi of the Italian Renaissance to The Joy of Sex.

For the rest of you, "Hey, sex!"

Do not watch these Swedish horror fest ads

Unless you:

1. Are a horror fan
2. Have a strong stomach
3. Are a psychopath
4. Are a soulless ad junkie, or
5. All of the above

It's a two-part viral promo for Elmsta 3000 Horror Fest, and if you insist on watching them with a functional soul, you will be repulsed and disturbed. Extreme graphic violence, torture, gore and hillbillies disturbed. You have been warned.





**hurk**

F'd Ad Fridays: My MILFSHAKE brings all the boys to the yard...

 I stare and stare at this Swedish print ad, and I still can't figure out what they're getting at:

Tip via Copyranter. Thanks to Jakob Magnusson for the hi-res image.

F'd Ad Fridays: Sweden's barfiest ad ever

Hold on to your lunch...



According to The Local:

"Price comparison website Flygresor.se chose to market themselves through a television commercial in which a man vomits on his friend after the two discuss how much they paid for their plane tickets.

Nearly two dozen offended viewers reported the ad to the Swedish Advertising Ombudsman (Reklamombudsmannen, RO), which ruled that the ad was indeed offensive.

In its ruling, the agency cites complaints that having to watch a person vomiting without being forewarned made viewers nauseous and made them lose their appetite."

Ummm... yeah. Blargh.

The Paper Terminator

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of terminator 2 (which they obviously really, really like) Swedish artists Daniel Larsson and Tomas Redigh — under their name of Rymdreglage — created this beautiful stop-motion marker homage:



Awesome, eh? But it seems to have offended quite a few YouTube viewers with its "waste" of so much paper.

"Climate criminal," said one. "Please, be eco friendly!" said another. "He must have killed a thousand trees!" said yet another.

Listen, folks. I am a certified tree hugger. But to criticize the use of so much paper in this piece is to totally miss the point.

The painstaking creation and casual destruction of each frame of this animation is part of the artist's statement. It's especially apt for a commemoration of fairly trashy pop culture from 20 years ago. That is not a waste of paper. It is a much, much better use of a renewable resource than all these stupid e-mails and briefs that people keep pointlessly printing out for me at meetings.

You might as well complain about the carbon footprint of burning so many candles, or the energy used to film it all. Art is worth it. And this is cool art.

Swedish ads get bork-bork-borked

I love this campaign for Sweden's Lernia training institutes, just posted on Illegal Advertising.

Sure, they'd be even more awesome if they took you by surprise on TV. But the only Swedish programming I've ever purposely watched was that badly-dubbed VHS movie a buddy found in his dad's "secret" collection back in the '80s...

Naw, that wasn't it...

Anyway, great use of dry humour to get a great point across about the value of good training.

Enjoy:

I think my favourite TV chef would appreciate the technician's predicament.