The 'Team America' poster contains a range of generic signifiers which identify not only the genre of film, but also the ideology underpinning it. It appears to be an American action/adventure film, but it is also part of the sub-genre of animated children's film. Therefore we would expect there to be a range of evidentiary signs in the poster which would make its generic hybridity obvious.

The most visible sign being used is that of the US flag as a backdrop. This has several functions. It is useful to use Barthe's theories here. The first order of signification is denotation; that is the straightforward dictionary definition. In this instance, a flag is no more than a rectangular piece of cloth with a pattern on it which has come to be associated with a specific nation; in this instance the United States of America. However, when we look at the second order of signification, we see that the American flag has a far more broad range of associative meaning. The second level of signification is connotation, and the US flag connotes many things in American culture; patriotism; solidarity; unity; even revolution; because originally the red colours used in the stripes represented the blood shed in the fight for American independence.

This links to Barthe's third order of signification; myth and ideology. At an even deeper level, the US flag is seen as almost a spiritual entity. If the flag touches the ground, it has to be given a formal burial, for instance. And burning the flag, until very recently, was seen as a capital offence; like murder. Thus the flag in the poster is as much a member of the cast as the four Team America police who are superimposed over this potent symbol.

If we apply Peirce's three-part definition of the sign (index, icon and symbol) to the poster, we see that all three elements are clearly visible, with some signs even fitting into several categories. For instance, the image of the flag is both iconic (because it is a literal representation of the flag) but it is also indexical. As has already been made clear, the flag is an evidentiary sign, because it clearly demonstrates the nationality of the film, and the underlying ideology which the film supports. On a more obvious level, the flag reinforces the title of the film "Team America". The symbolic signs on the poster would primarily be the text itself. According to Peirce, a symbolic sign is arbitrary. It can only be understood if it has been taught and if there is broad cultural consensus or agreement as to the meaning. The letters of the alphabet and the words which are formed using these symbols, are obvious examples of symbolic signs.

If we apply Saussure's version of semiotic analysis to the poster, we see that it consists of a range of signifiers which acquire meaning only when they are related to one another. There are many signifiers present which suggest the genre of Action Adventure, for instance, but not necessarily individually. We have to see the signs as connotative clusters. For instance,there are a range of geographical signifiers present which identify the major cities in the world, both ancient and modern. (The pyramids of Egypt and India's Taj Mahal signify the exotic ancient world; while Big Ben; and the Eiffel Tower signify a modern European backdrop.) One convention of the action/adventure genre is the exotic setting. The jet planes and the helicopters as well as the assault rifles held by the members of Team America, also signifiy the action/adventure genre, which traditionally contains characters who fight evil in an international arena. Cumulatively, this cluster of signifiers communicate very clearly the film's genre.

But it is important to note that this film is also one which does not take itself very seriously. The central characters are puppets, after all; reminiscent of 'Thunderbirds.' With their impossibly square-jaws and their steely-eyed determination, they are clearly far-removed from reality. This adds an element of nostalgia to the representation, for British Audiences at least. For US viewers, the members of 'Team America' are clearly ironic signfiers of the myth of the American Superhero; latter day Clark Kents who fight for "truth, justice and the American Way," but only in the fantasy-world of our lost childhoods.