2003 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News Archives

August 19, 2003: No Superheroes in Melbourne

Reuters published the following article of a story coming out of Melbourne Australia...

Superman, Batman, Spiderman and the Hulk might be able to save the world but they can't get through the doors of an increasing number of childcare centres in one Australian city.

Declaring themselves "superhero-free zones", at least 12 day centres for pre-school age children in Melbourne are banning crime-fighting superhero costumes because they say the unwelcome alter-egos encourage children to be aggressive.

Mayor Bill Baarini from Hobsons Bay Council, which runs the superhero-free Altona Meadows Child Care Centre, said it was often the less assertive child with lower self-esteem who ended up the victim of playground superheroes.

"While the policy hasn't eliminated rough play altogether, it had certainly made a significant difference in reducing injuries and bullying at the centre," he said in a statement.

But Vickii Jenvey, a Monash University expert on children's play, said the rough and tumble play the childcare centres were trying to stamp out was different from aggressive behaviour.

"Cloaks and masks don't cause aggression," Jenvey told Reuters. "Children can get aggressive with a piece of stick. Superheroes are actually archetypal characters, good fighting evil, and can be quite moral."



2003 Merchandise & Miscellaneous News

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