After reviewing their previous 'Hedgehogs' campaign in 2007 which found the common roadkill to be "too young" and "un-cool" for 6 to 11-year-olds, the Department for Transport (DfT) launched a new 'Think' campaign in November 2008 to drive home the understanding of the Green Cross Code in a series of dark, unfortunate tales of Burtonesque children who failed to implement the Code at the roadside (which apparently were so disturbing that they were causing nightmares and were promptly taken off air - but isn't that the point?).

The cautionary tales feature pale, despondent looking children with visible injuries caused by them failing to implement road safety code, such as failing to "stop, look and listen", wearing something bright and reflective at night, and not looking for a safe place to cross. We see snippets of the children in happier times where they were carefree and not enfeebled by their own ignorance, reflecting on a life that could have been if they paid attention to the rules. As their tales draw to a close, we see the unfortunate child glance over to a group of smarter, streetwise children looking a lot more colorful and carefree – wishing they were part of the livelier group and not a misfit unable to play with other children due to broken limbs.

I really love this series. It feels like the only 'Think' campaign that's had a copious amount of creative thought put into it, being quite unprecedentedly original in its approach. Teaching kids the rules of the road isn't easy, and it's very difficult to teach them without some getting bored of adults badgering them about the same things over and over again. These short snippets immediately grab your attention – they aren't creepy enough to scare children completely and thus lose their overall message from being drowned out by inducing fear, but they are sinister enough to grab your attention, to slow down the tone of things, and to warn you about the potential real-life consequences of not following roadside safety codes. And the animation and colour scheme are delightfully spooky, which can only get a few extra bonus points from me.

Well done, Think. Enjoy the compliments while they last, as things only went downhill from here.

Done by Smith & Foulkes at Nexus Productions.

Upscaled into 4K using AI software.
Originals for comparison:
Stop, Look and Listen - [ Ссылка ]
Dress Bright in the Dark - [ Ссылка ]
Safe Place to Cross - [ Ссылка ]

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