Origins of the Black Dot Project: The Black Wonder Berkeley Intervention

In 2002, Stacy spent a day with a group of first graders at a Berkeley public elementary school in which they were introduced to the Black Wonder "ad campaign". The intervention began with an activity in which the children were permitted to play with a six-foot black ball in the school playground.

This activity fed on the children's need to belong, in that the children who played with this ball were perceived by the other children at the school as the "in" group. As the "in" group, they were the ones who had the opportunity to participate in something special. The provided Stacy and the participating educator the context for engaging the children in a critique of how branding works.




For the final activity, the children decorated white tee shirts by painting the black dot "logo" on the front with a stencil. The purpose of this activity was to teach them how clothing containing logos functions as advertising.