10 TV character shopping obsessions

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Phil gets an iPad — Modern Family

This is probably one of the more blatantly consumerist products on the list, but I don’t care. Phil Dunphy is super cute about his iPad and you can’t fault Modern Family for jumping on board the Apple craze.

There are a couple of things that are remarkable about this pairing, the most interesting being the fact that the iPad appeared on the show before it was even available in stores. In fact, the entire storyline in this episode, “Game Changer,” revolves around Phil’s family trying to obtain one among the high demand. Because they didn’t pre-order the device far enough in advance, it becomes a whole thing — lots of scrambling, hijinks, and bumbling comedy.

If you look too closely at the iPad/Modern Family team up, it might feel a little icky. When the episode aired in 2010, Steve Jobs, Apple’s co-founder and top guy, was a major shareholder in Disney, thus ABC, making it pretty obvious that it was just an elaborate marketing campaign to heighten buzz for the product.

Even though I’m savvy enough to understand this intellectually, in my gadget-loving heart, I delight in Phil’s glee over his new gift, because it’s downright fun. He kisses it, squeals at the birthday candle app, and even utters a heartfelt, “Who’s ready for the first day of the rest of their lives?” Little did he know that statement would define our culture in about a million different ways.