A long time ago, in a decade far, far away, parents knew the importance of immunizing their children, and doctors were the guardians of health in America. Before the dark times. Before Jenny McCarthy.
Given the recent outbreak of measles at Disneyland -- a disease that was considered all but eradicated in 2000 -- it's ironic to discover that a couple of characters now owned by Disney were involved in the pro-vaccine movement as early as 1977. Namely, R2-D2 and C-3PO.
The metal pair warned Earthlings to get vaccinated "against polio, measles and whooping cough" in the TV ad above, which urged parents to write to a PO Box in Colorado to find out more. (Remember when parents used to write letters, too?)
"All you need is a little rewiring," Threepio tells his little hypochondriac trashcan pal. "Children need to be fully immunized, but alas, many are not."
If only the golden droid had gone on to explain herd immunity, or why one kid whose parents don't vaccinate can cause more trouble than a two-meter ventilation shaft on the Death Star, this ad would be perfect.
Sadly, the problem appears to be getting worse in the 21st century -- especially among millennials. A YouGov survey released Friday shows that the only age group in which the majority doesn't believe in mandatory vaccination to create herd immunity is 18 to 29 year olds.