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Mickey and the Markets: What Cartoon Characters Mean for Stocks
Latest News from Our Friends at The Socionomics Institute
GAINESVILLE, Ga. / August 31, 2010 -- Fun-loving, hard-working Felix the Cat was born in the 1920s, as the stock market soared and climbed to new highs. As prices dropped and the 1930 bear market hit, Betty Boop, a scantily dressed, care-free "flapper" entered the scene. The sexy and iconic toon was a smash. But, was Betty’s sudden emergence and immediate popularity a coincidence? Cultural analysts at the Socionomics Institute say no. Their research shows that the kinds of cartoons people enjoy and when they enjoy them can be determined by looking to the financial markets.
The Georgia-based think tank believes the financial markets reflect social mood swings of optimism, to pessimism and back again. Just as social mood drive stock prices, it also shapes the sort of cartoons that studios produce and viewers enjoy.
"Positive-mood" cartoons are fun and wacky, think Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny. While "negative-mood" cartoons are usually tragic or surreal, think Betty Boop. The big-headed flapper was a big hit during America's biggest-to-date bear market.
"The Max Fleischer studio struck gold with Betty Boop after mood collapsed in the early 1930s. Blatantly vampish Boop routinely dropped her skimpy top, and her skirt was forever riding up. She even tackled coerced sex and drug use. In "Ha! Ha! Ha," (1934), Betty tries to ease Koko the Clown’s toothache. She administers nitrous oxide but drops the mask and accidentally exposes the entire town to gas. What follows is downright trippy as townsfolk, plants, cars and bridges all collapse into convulsive laughter."
Euan Wilson, The Socionomist, August 2010
In part 1 of an in-depth research series on the history of animation, researcher Euan Wilson takes a detailed look at animated cartoons' first 40 years. He identifies an intriguing correlation: distinct animation styles, themes and character appearances coincide with periods of bear and bull markets, summarized by the bull versus bear chart in this release. Wilson observes, "Bull-market animation is safe for the family. But many bear-market cartoons contain themes of sexuality, drugs and even racism."
By looking to the financials to gauge society's mood, Wilson concludes that an animated sex symbol, reminiscent of Boop will soon appear again on the American pop culture cartoon scene.
Note to media: For a copy of the study or to arrange an interview with Euan [pronounced 'you-un'] Wilson, contact Alexandra Lienhard, 770-536-0309.
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About The Socionomics Institute
The Socionomics Institute, based in Gainesville, Ga., studies social mood and its role in driving cultural trends. The Institute’s analysis is published in the monthly research review, The Socionomist. Click here to access more research and forecasts from our friends at The Socionomics Institute.
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