# Hey, JC Penny: Nice back-to-school commercials! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512 "2005-08-04T02:17:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/1 "2005-08-04T02:17:39Z")
No, really. Last year they had a commercial with some suburban school kids dancing in a classroom to a reggae-inspired song (_Rock Your Body_, maybe?). The song was good and the kids’ dancing was fun to watch. There was this one little white girl who was, as my husband put it, fuckin’ it up (don’t worry, that’s good thing). She was a lot of fun to watch. This year, same deal, except they’ve expanded the dancing locations (school bus stop, kitchen in the morning, outside of school) AND they’re dancing to Black Sheep’s _The Choice is Yours_. I love that song. I’m not going to start shopping there or anything, but I do dig those commercials. ---
**Author:** ![Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bb73d2/32.png) [@Dark\_Side\_of\_the\_Floyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dark_Side_of_the_Floyd)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/2 "2005-08-04T02:30:43Z")
I like the “I like back…packs and I cannot lie” commercials. Don’t know who the ads were for, though. Some effective advertising. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/3 "2005-08-04T02:31:54Z")
My favorite back to school commercial is the ad where dad is waltzing through the store, gleefully picking up supplies as the kids stand sullen. Classic! I’ll have to watch for the Penney’s ad. They don’t dress the kids up like hookers and gang bangers, do they? I hate that. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/4 "2005-08-04T02:44:52Z")
> [@DarkSideoftheFloyd](#): > > I like the “I like back…packs and I cannot lie” commercials. Don’t know who the ads were for, though. Some effective advertising. :rolleyes: Target. The _New York Post_ recently had an article about bad song choices for advertisements, and this reworked version of _Baby Got Back_ was the impetus of the article, pointing out other offenders as well (Royal Caribbean using _Lust For Life_, Wrangler using _Fortunate Son_, Mercedes-Benz using _Mercedes-Benz_, etc.) ---
**Author:** ![betenoir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/258eb7/32.png) [@betenoir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/betenoir)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/5 "2005-08-04T02:50:36Z")
I’ve been hanging out at the Stormfront website (because I believe in “Know your enemy”) and recently read a thread on Most Hated Commercials. Half of it was what you get here…complaints about the Pepto Bismol dancers, that sort of thing, and half was what you’d probably expect. Anything involving interracial couples, commercials where the black guy was smarter than the white guy, and so on :rolleyes: Anyway the one that kept getting mentioned over and over was JCPenny’s. Because it had white kids acting “black” and dancing to “black” music. At the time I didn’t even know the ads they were talking about but if it pisses off those people they must be doing something right. ---
**Author:** ![cruel\_butterfly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5daacb/32.png) [@cruel\_butterfly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cruel_butterfly)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/6 "2005-08-04T03:19:35Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > My favorite back to school commercial is the ad where dad is waltzing through the store, gleefully picking up supplies as the kids stand sullen. Classic! Is that the one for Office Max or Staples and the dad is Alice Cooper? One of the kids says to him, “I thought you said school was out _forever_.” Alice Cooper says, “No, that’s ‘school’s out for the _summer_’.” Then he continues on his merry shopping way. It’s a great commercial, but I have always been bothered because I seem to remember that in that song, there _is_ a lyric that says, “school’s out forever”. But anyway… ---
**Author:** ![Greywolf73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d9b06d/32.png) [@Greywolf73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greywolf73)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/7 "2005-08-04T03:28:25Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > My favorite back to school commercial is the ad where dad is waltzing through the store, gleefully picking up supplies as the kids stand sullen. Classic! Isn’t this the one with the Christmas song? “It’s the most wonderful time of the year…” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/8 "2005-08-04T03:35:20Z")
Gah I hate those commercials, mainly because I hate that stupid little girl. She always has some dumb look on her face. Bah! I’ve tried to find a picture for the last 30 minutes (I know…I know), but I can’t find one. Trust me. She always looks stupid. And I also find it HILARIOUS that “Baby Got Back” is used to sell school supplies to children. My favorite commercial is the one for Staples or Office Depot where “Rubber band man” is playing in the background-- that one is a lot like dad floating through the store buying things. Love those both. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/9 "2005-08-04T03:50:13Z")
I haven’t seen the new one but I disliked the old one. The little girl popping her backside out seemed to be too suggestive a dance for someone that age. I bet a lot of pedophiles enjoyed that commercial. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/10 "2005-08-04T03:55:05Z")
> [@Wile E](#): > > …The little girl popping her backside out seemed to be too suggestive a dance for someone that age. I bet a lot of pedophiles enjoyed that commercial. Boy, I’m glad I hardly ever watch TV anymore. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/11 "2005-08-04T04:03:29Z")
> [@Ashes](#): > > My favorite back to school commercial is the ad where dad is waltzing through the store, gleefully picking up supplies as the kids stand sullen. Classic! That reminds me of when I was a kid. The only time in my life I developed asthma, was in August when they started showing the back to school commercials and mom started talking about having to get around to that. Hell, I’m forty years old and I still feel a wave of anxiety when I start seeing the back to school commercials. Don’t have asthma though, and the commercial you mention sounds pretty funny. Now. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/12 "2005-08-04T05:54:53Z")
> [@DiosaBellissima](#): > > And I also find it HILARIOUS that “Baby Got Back” is used to sell school supplies to children. They aren’t. They’re selling school supplies to parents. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/13 "2005-08-04T13:40:18Z")
Hey, I like the JC Penny commercials. Those kids can really move. Weren’t they in some Missy Elliot music video? And I swear I saw some music video for a Mexican? Spanish? song that had these kids ballroom dancing and breakdancing and it was all kinds of cool. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/14 "2005-08-04T13:45:04Z")
> [@cruel butterfly](#): > > I seem to remember that in that song, there _is_ a lyric that says, “school’s out forever”. It’s both. I haven’t seen the commercial, but I think that’s the joke. I think the Baby Got Backpack commercial is very funny. If you didn’t know, you’d think it was perfectly innocent. And it is a really catchy song. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/15 "2005-08-04T14:44:46Z")
I saw the Penny ad last night and was entertained. I’m not really into dancing and can’t do it myself (not for lack of wanting to, I’ve got a bad back and leg) but I can appreciate that others have the skill and flexibility. ---
**Author:** ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/16 "2005-08-04T15:42:41Z")
> [@audiobottle](#): > > Hey, I like the JC Penny commercials. Those kids can really move. Weren’t they in some Missy Elliot music video? I never saw it, but my husband said the girl I mentioned in the OP was in one of Missy’s videos. ---
**Author:** ![DiosaBellissima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a8b319/32.png) [@DiosaBellissima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DiosaBellissima)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/17 "2005-08-04T16:07:19Z")
She’s actually in two Missy videos: Work it and Gossip Folks. She was also in Eminem’s Just Lose It video and some Spanish video I can’t remember. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/18 "2005-08-04T17:48:12Z")
I see occasional national back-to-school clothes ads. The funny thing is, I don’t think there’s a school that doesn’t have some sort of uniform in this entire state. Are they trying to taunt the kids with the cool stuff they’d get to wear anywhere else or something? I’m not really pro- or anti-uniform, but I do feel bad for the more fashion-conscious kids when I see that sort of advertising. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/19 "2005-08-04T18:10:21Z")
I just think it’s absolutely hilarious that they had to edit the hell out of “Rock Ya Body” to eliminate the line metaphorically comparing his lust for the object of the song to his desire for marijuana. And they didn’t even edit well. ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512/20 "2005-08-04T18:49:55Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > This year, same deal, except they’ve expanded the dancing locations (school bus stop, kitchen in the morning, outside of school) AND they’re dancing to Black Sheep’s _The Choice is Yours_. I love that song. I also love that song, and thought “wow, what a weird choice” when I saw the commercial. The song was from when I was in High School/College, the kids in the commercial are far too young to have heard it, and if they did hear it, they’d think “oldies” and quickly dismiss it as not cool. So I thought “marketing mistake.” Then I realized that they aren’t advertising to the kids - they’re advertising to their parents. To _me_. That _I’m_ supposed to see this commercial, be filled with nostalgia, and go buy my school-age child’s back-to-school clothes at JCPenney’s. So now, it just makes me feel really, really old - and spinstery (since I don’t have the school age child). I hate that commercial. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-jc-penny-nice-back-to-school-commercials/315512.md?page=2)