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Popular Culture Review
in the form of a light bulb. Yet the process by which a child creates an
imaginary friend allows for his or her personal growth as well. Eduardo (Tom
Kenny), a giant purple monstrosity sprouting two giant horns and dressed in
wrestling pants, was created by a girl who thought she needed a friend to scare
off the neighborhood bullies. Yet Eduardo trembles in fear at the slightest hint of
trauma, whether from spiders or the possibility of injury from using a watering
can. On a subconscious level, Eduardo’s creator imagined a friend she needed to
defend at times, allowing her to gain self-confidence.
Blooregard Q. Kazoo (Keith Ferguson), who goes simply by “Bloo,”
comes to live at Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends in the first episode, albeit
under unique circumstances. His creator Mac (Sean Marquette), eight years old
at the start of the series, must give up Bloo when his mother decides he is now
too old for an imaginary friend. Mac and Bloo broker a deal with Madame
Foster whereby Bloo can live at Foster’s without fear of being adopted out to
another child, so long as Mac visits him every day. Bloo plays the part of the
quintessential trickster. He whiles away the hours awaiting Mac’s visits looking
for any way to relieve the threat of impending boredom. He tests the Riles of his
new home to their upper limits, and at times crosses the line, hurting others in
his self-centered pursuit of amusement. Bloo’s sometimes thoughtless behavior
at first stands in direct contrast to the personality traits of his creator. Where
Mac often demonstrates restraint and introspection, Bloo craves the immediate
satisfaction of his id. When they are together, however, Mac and Bloo
complement one another. Mac tends to be shy, but Bloo easily draws him out of
his shell, even to the point of a bit of mischief-making. Mac reins in Bloo’s
behavior, acting as Bloo’s conscience when he behaves poorly towards others.
Bloo devours all outlets of popular culture, from television, to video
games, to blockbuster movies, to bubblegum pop music. Brett Williams argues
that the explosion of cartoons in the 1980s tied specifically to mass-marketed
toy lines resulted in a situation whereby “children learned to celebrate and honor
consumption” (121). His observation continues to hold true to the present day,
where movies, music, and television shows aimed at the youth market tie in
seamlessly and deliberately with toys, fast-food chain promotions, and the like.
Certainly, this marriage of the corporate world with the marketing of popular
culture not only tends to produce forgettable, bland material, but represents
commercialism at its worst. Although children may be easily targeted due to
their naivete about being manipulated into desiring certain products or watching
certain movies, adults prove Just as susceptible. Adult audiences, for example,
will often flock to the theaters to see a big-budget film, regardless of the quality
of its story, its acting, or critical reviews, so long as it provides plenty of sleek
special effects.
Through Bloo, Foster's Home explores both of these issues in-depth.
While Bloo may recall in detail the adventures of a movie character or the
moves utilized by the latest boy band, he does not in any way judge the quality
of the material he absorbs. If Bloo sees it depicted in the mass media as popular