Leprechaun Lexicon

With special thanks to Tiffany Rose.

We're enjoying a relaxing and conversational weekend with Judy Elmore, owner of Elmore Toyota on busy Beach Boulevard in Orange County,

Recently Judy was the subject of a cover story in Dealer magazine.



We had a chance this afternoon to discuss Nickelodeon, its Big Idea "Us versus Them," Geraldine Laybourne, and SpongeBob SquarePants.



Notes Judy, "SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the most tasteless shows I have ever seen on television."

We're spending the weekend in the bungalow (above) at the Palm Springs hacienda of Judy Elmore.



Although it is 122 degrees, we aren't deterred from our objective of writing, blogging, and Twittering against Nickelodeon this weekend.



#boycottnick.

Because no matter where you go or how hot it gets, "Us versus Them," Nickelodeon's Big Idea, its mission as conceived by Geraldine Laybourne, is a stinkinly rotten bad idea, not, as she would have you believe, a big one.



#boycottnick

Cheril Hendry, CEO of Irvine-based Brandtailers, a venture capital marketing firm, took a walk with us on Wednesday, June 17, to the corner of Barranca and Jamboree in Irvine to meet up with the demonstration in support of Iran.

A demonstration for Iran.

A demonstration for #boycottnick:

Tiffany Rose also stopped by our office this afternoon to continue her work on the official logo of #boycottnick, which is not the one pictured here.

Thank you, Tiffany, for all that you do to support our boycott of Nickelodeon:

Current Disney castmember "Jessica Rabbit" gets a boost of support from former Disney castmembers Brian Schneider ( a "Spoon" at Disneyland Resort) and Jonathan Magnusson (Finding Nemo submarine operator) who have formed Dzign N Tekz, a Web site design and technical solutions company.

Thank you, Brian and Jonathan, for your enthusiastic support of #boycottnick and your endless gravy train of good ideas.

LL: Pictured above are the hands of “Jessica Rabbit." She is a Guest Relations Hostess at Disneyland Resort. These hostesses are known as the “Plaids” by other castmembers. Jessica Rabbitt is also a Chapman Public Relations and Advertising alumnus who has agreed to support #boycottnick. Here, in my office at Chapman University, she tells us why:

Jessica Rabbit: My job at the Resort is to host families throughout their stay at the parks. I spend an extraordinary amount of time with young children and their parents, and I really, truly enjoy what I do. It’s always very interesting to see how children are developing at various ages, and it’s especially interesting to hear the things that they’ve taken in--and repeat. On more than one occasion, a child has asked me if we have a Simpsons or a Spongebob ride at the park, and it’s funny to see how the parents respond. They know that there’s a clear line between the entertainment offerings of Disney and Nickelodeon, and will often respond with something like, “I don’t think those characters are allowed to play here.”

You’re certainly right, they’re not.

On what was once known as The Disney Channel, kids were encouraged to follow their dreams, to be honest with their parents and their peers, and to begin to develop a personal set of ethics. Growing up, I never saw anything like that on Nickelodeon.

It’s part of my job to know what’s going on at Disney Channel, as it is called today. The influence of Anne Sweeny…who today runs all of Disney’s cable channels, but was groomed at Nickelodeon for 12 years… has become increasingly disconcerting. I boycott Nick because I miss The American Teacher Awards, because kids are not marketing tools, and mostly because I don’t ever want to see Ren & Stimpy doing meet-and-greets outside Sleeping Beauty Castle.

Don't you need to know which Twitter/Disney/Nickelodeon avatars you see these days are official?

Or "borrowed and adapted."

Janelle Maluenda, founder of The Mothers Against Nickelodeon and mother of Kiela, the mascot of #boycottnick, takes a few moments in our office last week to help us put polish on a written piece called "Why I Twitter."



Mom and Mascot:



Ironically, tragically, the day after the first two pictures of Janelle in this post were taken, last week, taken as if from heaven, Kiela's canine Guardian Angel, a beauty named B, ascended to heaven herself, to assume her post, sentry, as the fierce protector of Kiela and enthusiastic flag-waver for #boycottnick.



B
Because All Dogs Go To Heaven

We have much evidence to present to you in the case of the American people versus Nickelodeon, which is now being expressed on Twitter thusly: #boycottnick. Much of the evidence will make you angry, as it did us. Other will cause you to roll your eyes, maybe even hold your nose. Some of it will give you nightmares as it does us.

Case in point.

In September 1996 Geraldine Laybourne appeared on the cover of the Los Angeles Times magazine doing the hula hoop with the headline:

SHE'S THE MOST POWERFUL WOMAN IN HOLLYWOOD



Early in the piece, which was reported and written by Sallie Hofmeister, we learn that while Mrs. Laybourne built Nickelodeon she sat behind a desk with the shape of a serphent. Furthermore, she was known for staring "blissfully" at one particular dead worm, the mascot of the studio behind her biggest hit, "Ren and Stimpy."

Let's review.

Serphent.

Worm.

We're animated about #boycottnick.



And we mean business with #boycottnick.



We're still asking to speak with Geraldine Laybourne at Twitter.



And she's still rejecting us.



Pictured above: Geraldine Laybourne's (@bondgirl) Twitter avatar. Afraid to ask, but: Who's the baby?

Please bear with us as we make changes to Leprechaun Lexicon to support #boycottnick.

Thank you for your understanding and good humor.



Pictured: Kiela, Janelle, Matt: the first family of #boycottnick

Bradley Allen first agreed to pose with the #boycottnick protest sign:



Then, being the designer that he is, he redesigned the sign:

At the first planning meeting of #boycottnick held recently in our office at Knotts Scary Studios, Matt Baca, Vanessa Banuelos, and Michelle Cook demonstrate that it's not all seriousness and sticking to an agenda when it comes to the comedy of protests: #boycottnick.



Note: Matt Baca and Janelle Maluenda are the parents of the mascot of #botcottnick, Kiela.

Pictured below are Brian Schneider (right) and Jonathan Magnusson, former Disney castmembers now running their own Web design business, and helping behind the scenes with #boycottnick.



Last week they met with Michelle Cook, one of the founders of The Mothers Against Nickelodeon, to discuss #boycottnick's Web presence.



Then it was time to vamp.

See no evil. Speak no evil. Hear no evil.



What's this about #boycottnick and USC?



Go ahead and wine a bit about Nickelodeon. You'll feel better.

Hold it high above your head:



Or hold it at your waist:



Raise one arm to make the point




To #boycottnick with taste.



#boycottnick.

Because it's time.



Special thanks to Chapman Public Relations and Advertising major Shauna Fleming for modeling the latest in protest signs at Fashion Island, Newport Beach.

DD The Magical Disney Dog and Disney's Dopey contemplate a Great Idea, not the Bad One that defines Nickelodeon:

Thank you Tiffany (#@CherryFizzy) for this version of the #boycottnick logo. I will Twitter my thoughts to you now...