The Simpsons are Cool but Barbie's a Minger - Professor Agnes Nairn

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Boy 1 Um, some people would like, like, there’s some people I know who won’t
think they’re cool but it’s just like, they’re sort of like and funny and they
like them.
Interviewer Yeah. And so there’s a difference between cool and funny?
Boy 1 Yeah.
Boy 2 Yeah.
Interviewer Yeah.
Girl 1 Like The Simpsons, they’re funny, they’re like, like, in like, in thirds, they’d be
like two thirds funny and one third cool.
Year 6, State School, Mixed Group
The children seem to agree that there is a difference between cool and funny but they are
not quite sure what it is or how to conceptualise it or express it. Another Year 6 group
suggested that the notion of cool was associated with what people display (e.g. the clothes
they wear) rather than simply what people play with at home. This time they are talking
about Games Consoles.
Interviewer Ok, so would you say that these are cool? Is this something that you would
say is cool?
Boy Um, I dunno, I just think it’s quite alright, it’s not like cool, coz, I dunno,
because I’d class something as cool as maybe a piece of clothing if you
walk around, that’s not exactly like you’d carry that around with you, so. I
dunno, I just think they’re like fun. Fun rather than cool.
Year 6, Private School, Boys Group
Thus whilst all of the children would talk of the things that entertain them (particularly
games consoles and The Simpsons) as cool there is an awareness by Year 6 that there is some
other phenomenon which is called cool which they don’t quite understand yet although
they have an inkling that it may be about what you display to the outside world.