10
Santa Claus
What child has not been frightened into behaving thanks to the ever-present youthful fear of Santa not providing come Christmas? Almost all western children were told by their parents that Santa would leave them nothing if they misbehaved. I speak from experience when I say that it was one of the most effective methods of stopping tantrums! Funnily enough, though, the fear always dissipates on Christmas Eve as you just know that Santa will be coming – even if you did slip up a few times.

9
Barbie
As Barbie has progressed from a pretty young woman to whom all girls could aspire, to something often verging on the likeness of a harlot, one can wonder whether it was Barbie influencing children, or children influencing Barbie. There are certainly many similarities. Barbie has depicted almost every possible female lifestyle choice and I think there can be no doubt that she has been at the start of the path many women have taken in life.
8
Robin Hood
This could potentially lead to a debate about whether Hood existed or not, but I am of the opinion that he did not. Therefore, he is listed as my number eight on the list. I am sure we have all heard someone justifying theft because the victim is wealthy – and where did this justification come from? Not just the principles of redistribution of wealth that many of us live under in Western Society (read envy taxes) but the fact that to this day, we are all raised believing Robin Hood was a hero – when, in fact, he was a thief. Stealing is almost always wrong, and just because Robin Hood gave the proceeds of his crimes to poor people, it is not a valid justification. As for the previously mentioned taxes, there is every reason for us to believe that the majority of people accept these taxes because of their prior belief in the false morality of the Robin Hood story.
7
Cowboys
This is one for the boys obviously! Even in remote New Zealand where I grew up, all the boys played “Cowboys and Indians”. The cowboy was a great hero with a shining gun who represented the morality of Western ideals: manliness, defense of justice, protection of women and children. No doubt many now cringe at the lack of political correctness involved in the game and stereotype, but kids aren’t politically correct (thank God) and certainly won’t be hindered because of it. The influence of the Cowboy movie genre is indisputable an immense one. Oh – and for those who say “but cowboys are real!” – yes – but this is about the concept – not about a specific person – just as we might say Santa existed as St Nicholas, the concept is bigger than any one person.

They legacy still lives #teamsanta

Yeah!

What about ojuju calabar?
Did it ever exist?

You said 10, waiting for the rest.

Be african, add Ogun, Sango and Amadioha join.

6
The Marlboro Man
How many men reading this list who smoke, are smoking cigarettes with filters? Venturing a guess I would say all of them. Before the Marlboro Man campaign began, “real men” didn’t smoke cigarettes with filters – they were for women. The aim of the Marlboro Man campaign was primarily to get men smoking filtered marlboro cigarettes. The influence of the campaign is abundantly clear today. The campaign is considered to be one of the best in all history. According to Wikipedia, it transformed a feminine campaign, with the slogan ‘Mild as May’, into one that was masculine, in a matter of months.

5
Rosie the Riveter
And now another for the girls! Rosie the Riveter may not be a familiar name, but her picture certainly is. Rosie the Riveter told women that they can do anything – and they did! Rosie managed to motivate an entire generation of working-age women to get out of the home and in to factories to help the war effort. This is probably one of the most influential events of the Second World War. Once the floodgates of women working were open, they would never be closed again. All women working in traditional male jobs have Rosie to thank.

4
Daedalus and Icarus
In a short 24 hours, you can fly from one side of the planet to another. This (one of man’s greatest achievements) may never have happened if it had not been for the mythological characters Daedalus and Icarus. The story tells of Daedalus building mechanical wings for his son Icarus and ever since the tale was told, man has lusted after the ability to take the sky and fly. This eventually came true and the entire planet is a changed place as a consequence of it.
3
The Little Engine That Could
The moral of this children’s tale is that self-belief, optimism, and hard work result in achievement – of even the most difficult tasks. The book first appeared in a slightly different version to today, in 1906. It has been regarded by many as a metaphor for the “American Dream”. The popularity of this book may also be a contributing factor to the huge number of self-help and “positive thinking” seminars and books that we see today.

www.asabaplatform.com for more

lol, barbie sha, big influence.
Santa bigger influence,

2
Big Brother
A relatively modern addition to this list, Big Brother has been a influence in so many social protests that he has to be included here. His name comes up every time a government passes a restrictive law or a law which seems to remove aspects of our eternal freedoms. Everyone recognizes his face, everyone knows what he stands for, and everyone is terrified of the potential for our own lives to be governed by our own version of the fictional character. Big Brother was, of course, created by George Orwell for his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.
1
Romeo and Juliet

Not only can Romeo and Juliet be blamed for much of our ideas of the “perfect relationship” – I think it can also be blamed for a high percentage of divorces. Couples going in to marriage seek the ideal of a relationship based entirely on passion and romance, and when that romance dims (as so often is the case) they feel cheated and believe the marriage has failed. When in reality, passionate romance is not required for a healthy marriage – while respect, love, and charity is. Romeo and Juliet have much to answer for

www.asabaplatform.com for more

What about Shekau?

if someone has been killed thrice, and yet he makes a video of himself, is he not a ghost?

missberrypop5:
lol, barbie sha, big influence.
Santa bigger influence,

i agree with u 100 percent

SirHouloo:
You said 10, waiting for the rest.

Be african, add Ogun, Sango and Amadioha join.

loooool o my days , yeah i should
i will
na real sango lmao

Texykool:
What about Shekau?

if someone has been killed thrice, and yet he makes a video of himself, is he not a ghost?

lol

Ok

You are so right OP



I give you some thumbs up
Expecially big brother and Santa Claus

Hmmmm you're right but I only know of the first three and the last two .

dre11:
You are so right OP



I give you some thumbs up
Expecially big brother and Santa Claus

thanks jare

Elantracey:
Hmmmm you're right but I only know of the first three and the last two .

really? where are you? France?
Joking

FP

11. Bush Baby

Wow,cool.

nice post

Nice in naija we have-
1) The gods
2) Ojuju
3) Madam koi koi
4) Bush baby
5) Wilie Willie
Add ur own.

My niece went to boarding house last term and when she got home she had stories about Lady koi koi I was like whoa so dat shlt still exist.

Yomieluv:
Wow,cool.

and @wise7. thanks

just entered to watch pictures

HOPE YOU ENJOYED WATCHING THE PICTURES

first ever post on nairaland, the views i have so far are impressive
will definitely do more interesting post

Human ways of escaping reality...cool..

Yeah