Elmo Loves You!, originally uploaded by Sofia Katariina
Why do they print images of cartoon characters on newborn diapers? The baby obviously doesn't care. It's all the same to her whether she poops on Elmo or Dora (or directly on her parents--but that's another story).
Does a tiny picture of a muppet's face signify "quality" to diaper-buying parents? Or are we just being primed to recognize these characters, so that we will more readily accept them when our children are old enough to know the difference, and begin to insist on branded merchandise? You decide!