What do the commercials and the products they advertise tell us about society at the time? Objective In this activity, students will perform close readings of 1960s cereal commercials, in order to develop evidence-based arguments about mid-century consumer culture. Background While Kenny might be exaggerating when he says he has “about a million” dinosaur figurines, he has enough to play largescale war. If Kenny was anything like other kids in the 1960s, there is a good chance he built his collection via breakfast cereal prizes. Beginning in the late 19th century and continuing through much of Duration: 60 Minutes Essential Question What do the commercials and the products they advertise tell us about society at the time? Objective In this activity, students will perform close readings of 1960s cereal commercials, in order to develop evidence-based arguments about mid-century consumer culture. Back.