Cartoon characters influence kids

Anyone who's ever taken a kid to a supermarket has witnessed the marketing power of popular cartoon characters.

Dora the Explorer, Mickey Mouse and all the other staples of morning TV are part of the world's greatest sales team -- because when they're on the package, kids start clamoring for it.

And a new study shows why: Cartoon characters can make food taste better.

Not really, of course -- but children truly believe these foods are yummier than foods that haven't been endorsed by their favorite animated pals. And for kids and adults alike, perception is reality.

Researchers from Yale University ran a taste test in which a group of 40 children between the ages of 4 and 6 years old were given gummy snacks, graham crackers and baby carrots from two different packages.

One package was plain, while the other was adorned with beloved cartoon friends: Dora the Explorer, Shrek or Scooby-Doo.

Of course, the snacks inside were exactly the same -- but 85 percent of the kids chose graham crackers from the cartoon package when given the choice, and 55 percent of them said the cartoon crackers actually tasted better.

With gummy snacks, it was pretty much the same -- 85 percent opted for the cartoon package, and 53 percent said those gummies tasted better.

And I'll get to those carrots in a moment.

Despite the fact that they were quite young, these kids knew their characters -- a sure sign of the influence of TV in most homes. Ninety percent knew Dora the Explorer, 77 percent recognized Scooby-Doo and 60 percent were familiar with Shrek.

No wonder they're so great at driving sales. Name recognition is everything -- even in preschool.

To be fair, not every cartoon creation is selling junk these days -- there's been a slow movement to get more characters on healthier foods. You can even find ordinary eggs stamped with Disney characters now.

But whether or not that will help is another story. Remember those baby carrots? Dora, Shrek and Scooby didn't make a difference, because the kids were split 50-50 on which carrots tasted better.

Sometimes, reality really does bite.

And no matter how many carrots and eggs get the coveted cartoon endorsement, they'll always be outnumbered by all the awful gummy snacks, sugar-packed cereals and awful canned foods that feature those same characters.

I'm sure you already know which aisle your child or grandchild will make a beeline for when you enter the supermarket. That's just one more reason why the best way to do your shopping is alone -- when you can make the choices without the threat of a meltdown in aisle five.

On a mission for your health,
Ed Martin
Editor, House Calls