Article: Superdad Cosby left child with mixed messages.

Autumn Jackson was 9 in 1984 when "The Cosby Show" became a huge TV hit and the man she believes to be her father became America's paternal ideal. She could watch him Thursday nights with her mother, a twice-married financially strapped ex-model with three other children and serious drug problems.

In 1984 Autumn Jackson was a little older than "Rudy," the baby of Bill Cosby's perfect TV family, the Huxtables. Rudy was missing her two front teeth, and much was made of tooth fairy visits and Rudy's gap-toothed smile as she cuddled with Cosby in the well-appointed Huxtable living room. Remember? The lush Boston fern and chintz-style couch and ballustrade staircase.

Related newspaper, magazine, and journal articles:

 
 
Newsweek Harper's Magazine The Washington Post Chicago Tribune Crain's Chicago Business PRNewswire Pediatric News The Nation Advertising Age The Economist (US) A FREE trial gives you access to over 80 million articles! Access over 6,500 publications with a FREE trial!