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The 'Bully Monster'—a Malevolent Purple Octopus—Keeps Kids Awake at Night
Empathy can help remove the stain
When is a stain not a stain? When it’s an octopus that destroys your life!
In “The Bully Monster,” by BETC Havas for Reckitt’s Vanish cleaning brand, the blotch on a boy’s jacket becomes a living symbol of the bullying he faces at school.
It torments him, feeds off his suffering and grows in size as he hides in shame. When mom catches the stain anyway, her empathy neutralizes the monster, enabling him to act in kind for someone else.
Playful and unsettling in equal measures, this simple work illuminates a surprising data point from the bullying prevention institute Abrace in Brazil: alongside other indicators, stains on uniforms can be a bullying sign.
Production house Lobo developed the animation.
Angela Natividad is the European markets editor at Muse by Clios. She also writes about gaming and fashion, and whatever else she’s interested in, really. She’s based in Paris and North Italy, so if you’re local, say hi. She might eat all your food.
