But what a campaign does is paint an image of a candidate in the public mind.

CNN: Romney caves to far right

For example, the jokes about Romney intentionally furthered the image Obama wanted to paint of Mitt, namely that he was very wealthy and out of touch with the average person.

CNN: How Obama has weaponized wit

When Woodside, California, mom Dana Sanderson asked her daughter Kit, then 6, what would help her sleep alone, Kit decided she needed a bigger night-light and a "Mommy pillow, " a body pillow with her mom's image traced in fabric paint.

CNN: Six big kid sleep problems