Plastic army men invade Lowcountry
Group aims to spread an anti-war message
Little green army men, the nostalgic plastic playthings, have been drafted by the anti-war movement and deployed to Charleston and other cities.
The toy soldiers have been scattered around several metropolitan areas by peace activists, with the message "bring me home" taped to their little bayonets or their plastic legs, usually along with a local group's Web address. The intent is to remind people there's a war going on, the groups say.
With the iconic army men, activists have found an inexpensive but highly recognizable symbol. Plastic soldiers made a popular comeback after their supporting role in the 1995 animated film "Toy Story" and went on to play a starring role in a series of video games.
"It's a serious subject, but you have to reach people how you can," said Jennifer Turner, a member of Charleston Peace. "Maybe people think, 'Oh, look, it's a little green army man,' then they go to the Web site and learn something serious."
Members of Charleston Peace and the discussion group Drinking Liberally distributed about 8,000 of the toy soldiers throughout Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester counties during the past several weeks. They were placed in businesses, on gas pumps and at ATMs, among other public places.
http://www.charleston.net/stories/?newsID=77769§ion=localnews
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