By frag_editorial Using vintage G.I. Joe advertisements and stop-motion animations, this video essay explores how toys are a form of cultural conditioning. Building on Maria Luisa Bemberg’s documentary Juguetes and the writings of Walter Benjamin, it argues that militarized toys like G.I. Joe normalize violence, glorify aggressive masculinity, and shape children’s perceptions of war. The essay contends that these forms of entertainment conceal the grim realities of conflict, creating an indifference to bloodshed and perpetuating a narrow, toxic ideal of manhood. Through a multiscreen format, the film juxtaposes these fictionalized “warscapes” with academic critiques, revealing the profound, lasting impact of death-obsessed toys on the young male psyche.
About the maker
Dr. Lisa DiGiovanni holds a split appointment in the Department of Modern Languages and in Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Keene State College. Her interdisciplinary research centers on representations of war, dictatorial violence, and genocide in 20th–21st century Spain and Latin America. She explores how film and literature renders visible the multiple traumas related to state repression and militaristic culture.
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user84946783