Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Kids and characters

Last week while in the cereal isle (also with granola bars, Pop Tarts, and other such 'breakfast bars) I had a heated argument with the kids. You see, the Betty Crocker fruit snacks were on sale for $1.66/box while the Kelloggs fruit snacks were $2.00/box. To set the mood, I would like you to picture about 30-40 different fruit snack varieties, each with a different theme such as Superman, Hello Kitty, Cinderella, Dora the Explorer, etc. etc. etc. First of all-- why in the world are fruit snacks called fruit snacks-- they do not come close to resembling fruit, nor are they snacks-- lets get down to it: they are candy in disguise parading themselves in colorful, character-laced boxes.

If you haven't yet guessed the argument I was having, I will inform you: Eliza wanted a "girly flavor", while Davis insisted on a "boyly" (quote) variety. After I broke down and told them I would get each of them a box, I realized I had yet one more hurdle to jump. Eliza wanted the Strawberry Shortcake (Kelloggs, of course) while Davis wanted Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also Kelloggs). I tried every logical argument with them-- "Well, you know you when you eat the snacks, they turn into one big mush in your tummy anyway, so it doesn't matter if its a turtle or a block of Kryptonite (Superman fruit snacks)" "You guys don't even pay attention to what you are eating anyway!" "Oh look, they've got Little Einsteins. . . " Finally, I sacrificed the 33 cents (apiece) and just bought the Kelloggs brand. Anything it takes to avoid a real scene in the grocery store, right?

As I've been pondering this little grocery store moment, I actually think the marketers for kids foods have got a good thing going. Why don't they put pictures of Patrick Dempsey on the broccoli and carrots? Better yet, every package of oreos would come with an approval from Roseanne Barr. Oooh, I'd be eating more fiber cereal if they had a slimming mirror on the box, wouldn't you?

5 comments:

Heather said...

You are sooooo Funny! Loved this post. Feel the same way half the time!:)

Jenny said...

Camilla. Everything you say is poetic. Hilarious. Right on. You know, forget the whole engineering gig and start writing a book. Start today. It would hit the NY Times bestseller list in a day.

By the way, Nate and I both were crouched over in hysteria at your "camera in the bum" post on resident wife. It has been a source of joy in our home for the past several days, and may in fact solidify Nate's fledgling desire to pursue a colorectal fellowship.

And, the night float that you and I endure... the great injustice is that we can't be hanging out together with our kids. I would love it.

Sorry for the long post, but one more thing: I am going to be in Utah from August 1- 19. From the
8th on, it's just me and my boys. Want to get together for lunch or dinner one of those nights? I'm sure Nate would love to see D, but we're going to be in Jackson with his family for most of his week with us. So. What do you think? Let's talk. richards.jenny@gmail.com

Melissa said...

I agree! You have some excellent marketing ideas!

Becky said...

Darn, the Betty Crocker ones are so much yummier than Kellogg's! And they're always 1.50 per box at Walmart, love it or hate it!

Samantha said...

I feel the same way about the fruit snacks ... I only buy the ones with real fruit juice in them (Welch's, I think) ... and that way I don't have to worry about the girl/boy flavor argument. And I feel a teensy bit better about feeding them to the kiddos!

And I would totally go for some yogurt with a picture of Johnny Depp!