Star Wars Immunization PSA

The Star Wars Immunization PSA, also known as Parents of Earth, was a public service announcement about childhood immunization that began airing in April 1978.[2] It included a television spot[3] and a poster that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an agency within what was then named the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,[4] produced and distributed. The video starred Anthony Daniels as C-3PO and Kenny Baker as R2-D2.[1]

In the spot, the droids address the "parents of Earth" about the importance of immunization against childhood diseases such as whooping cough, measles, or polio. They point out that such diseases could progress further to ailments like pneumonia, brain damage, or death.[3] The poster featured a photograph of the characters preceded by the text, "Parents of Earth, are your children fully immunized?" The text beneath the photograph continued, "Make sure—call your doctor or health department today. And may the Force be with you."[4]

Sources

Notes and references

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Premium-Era-real "An Oral History of the Star Wars Immunization Campaign" on MEL Magazine (backup link archived on October 11, 2021)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 HyperspaceIcon Kessel Mines - Of Star Wars Docs and Inoculations: Peter Shillingford on Hyperspace (original site is defunct)
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 YouTube Parents of Earth (Star Wars) on the ImmunizeOrg YouTube channel (backup link)
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Premium-Era-real "Parents of Earth, are your children fully immunized?" on United States National Library of Medicine (backup link archived on September 12, 2021)

External links