Changing economic realities, coupled with children's access to information about the adult world, have drastically changed the social construction of childhood. Noting that education takes place in a variety of social sites including but not limited to school, this book examines the influence of commercial concerns on this cultural pedagogy and its deleterious impact on children. The book highlights the tension between commerce and democracy, and examines how media have reshaped childhood identity, advocating a reconceptualization of childhood education to counterbalance this corporate influence. Following an introduction, the book's chapters are as follows: (1) "Home Alone and 'Bad to the Bone': The Advent of Postmodern Childhood" (Joe L. Kincheloe); (2) "Are Disney Movies Good for Your Kids?" (Henry A. Giroux); (3) "From 'Sesame Street' to 'Barney and Friends': Television as Teacher" (Eleanor Blair Hilty); (4) "'Beavis and Butt-Head': No Future for Postmodern Youth" (Douglas Kellner); (5) "Video Games and the Emergence of Interactive Media for Children" (Eugene F. Provenszo, Jr.); (6) "'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers': The Aesthetics of Phallo-Militaristic Justice" (Peter McLaren and Janet Morris); (7) "'Mom, It's Not Real!' Children Constructing Childhood through Reading Horror Fiction" (Linda K. Christian-Smith and Jean I. Erdman); (8) "Reading Children's Magazines: Kinderculture and Popular Culture" (Alan A. Block); (9) "Professional Wrestling and Youth Culture: Teasing, Taunting, and the Containment of Civility" (Aaron David Gresson III); (10) "Dealing from the Bottom of the Deck: The Business of Trading Cards, Past to Present" (Murry R. Nelson and Shirley R. Steinberg); (11) "The Bitch Who Has Everything," examining the culture of the Barbie doll (Shirley R. Steinberg); (12) "Multiculturalism and the American Dream" (Jeanne Brady); (13) "Anything You Want: Women and Children in Popular Culture" (Jan Jipson and Ursi Reynolds); and (14) "McDonald's, Power, and Children: Ronald McDonald (aka Ray Kroc) Does It All for You" (Joe L. Kincheloe). (Each chapter contains references.) (HTH)