Saturday Morning Mind Control by Phil Phillips Published by Oliver-Nelson Books Copyright 1991 ISBN 0-8407-9581-5

Every show will have its critics, and for G.I.Joe, there is Phil Phillips. Below are a list of facts and quotes from the book that are specifically aimed at the series:
	· The average G.I.Joe episode contained 80 acts of violence (p. 50) · "Some people point to the moral conclusions that often appear on violent TV programs denouncing violence or drawing a positive benefit. On G.I.Joe, for example, often a thirty-second conclusion, of sorts, provides a lesson about being kind to animals or about using safety devices. This disclaimer comes after twenty-two minutes of violent education" (p. 60). "G.I.Joe became animated, as did She-Ra, Transformers, Voltron, and so forth. Cross-marketing was carried to the point where many began to call the toy-based series 'commercialtoons'" (p. 96-97). · Sunbow's G.I.Joe series appeared on two lists: A. Shows of avoid because of martial arts (p. 126) B. Cartoons to turn off because they portray sex, violence and the occult (p. 172)
While reviewing Saturday Morning Mind Control, I noticed that the author included several pages of research sources near the back of his book (p. 179-183). However, while making his arguments, he very rarely named the source of his facts, causing the line between research and opinion to disappear. As a result, his book appears not as a well-researched and organized argument against animated television series but a rather long-winded rant that frequently relies on extremism, reinterpretation and generalities to make a point. For example, in order to prove that cartoons encourage the use of drugs, Mr. Phillips examined the Sunbow series My Little Pony: "In one episode of MY LITTLE PONY[,] a character drank a potion, her eyes shot forth lightning, she grew to enormous size, and she received power. What a drug trip! In another episode[,] a character, acting as a savior of the kidnapped Ponies, stopped to get a piece of the rainbow from Mushram, where the wizard lives among the magic mushrooms. Magic mushroom is the name given to drug users to one type of highly hallucinogenic mushroom" (p. 105). Mr. Phillips also rails against He-Man, The Transformers, Visonaries, Thudercats, Jem, Dungeons and Dragons, Smurfs and Care Bears. Even films such as Star Wars, Star Trek, Howard the Duck and ET were targeted by the author because they are filled with harmful occult overtones (p. 161-163). On page 187, the author includes his contact information: Child Affects PO Box 68 Rockwall, TX 75087 Phone: 214.771.9839 Fax: 214.722.1721