The presence of a recognizable cartoon character on a cereal box may actually change a child’s opinion on the taste of the cereal, finds a new study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania performed a taste test with 80 children between the ages of four and six. The children were given the same cereal packaged in four different ways: under the name Sugar Bits or Healthy Bits and with or without familiar cartoon characters on the box – in this case, the penguins from the Warner Brothers movie Happy Feet.
When packaged in the generic boxes, the children actually preferred the taste of Healthy Bits over Sugar Bits, surprising researchers and suggesting that lessons in healthy eating resonate more than expected.
When the cereal was served from boxes showing the cartoon character, however, children claimed to like both cereals equally.
"Messages encouraging healthy eating may resonate with young children, but the presence of licensed characters on packaging potentially overrides children’s assessments of nutritional merit," concluded the study authors.