Fit For Kids

October
2007

By
Katy Elliott

Mold
and squeeze the figures into any shape you wish, but the facts remain clear for
all to see: children are getting fatter. Not just in the U.S.—this is a
problem that has reached global proportions.

According
to the International Association for the Study of Obesity, by 2010 nearly half
of the children in North and South America will be overweight or obese, as will
some 38 percent of children in the European Union. In Southeast Asia, a
projected 23 percent of kids will be overweight, up from 11 percent in 2002.

And
research done by the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health
Organization states that one in every ten children in wealthy, city-dwelling
Chinese families is considered obese.

A
number of factors have contributed to this rise in obesity and unhealthy
lifestyles among children: poor diet, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise
and outdoor play. Many children of lower-income families, in which both parents
work, are not properly supervised during the after-school hours, which then
become a opportunity for sedentary activities and unlimited snacking.

Concern
about childhood obesity from parents, schools, health-care professionals and
even broadcasters has grown considerably in the last couple of years. The U.K.,
Sweden and the Canadian territory of Quebec have banned the advertising of
sugar- and salt-laden and fatty foods during children’s tele­vision
shows.

Now,
a small number of broadcasters, producers of children’s shows and governments
around the world are taking a closer look at junk-food ads that run during
kids’ shows, which can often blur the lines between the commercials and the
shows themselves. In addition, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, Discovery Kids and
Cartoon Network in the U.S. have all announced plans to limit the use of their
characters on junk-food packaging.

While
few governments are considering taking action to ban junk-food ads,
broadcasters around the world are reflecting the concerns of parents and
educators by airing shows that promote healthy lifestyles and eating. Just
witness the plethora of shows that encourage preschoolers to get up off the
sofa, move and dance with the presenters.

JUMP
UP AND PLAY

Sesame
Workshop is one of the companies that took the lead in promoting healthy eating
and exercise habits, and it started with its iconic show for preschoolers, Sesame
Street, now in its 38th season. A
new song has been created to complement the ever-popular song “C Is for
Cookie.” A few years ago, “A Cookie Is a Sometimes Food” was introduced as an
effort to explain to the youngest viewers that some foods should only be eaten
sometimes, while others can be eaten any time, and that it can be really fun
and exciting to try new, healthy foods.

“We
have a very comprehensive approach starting with 2- and 3-year-olds, before bad
habits [develop],” says Rosemarie T. Truglio, Sesame Workshop’s VP of education
and research, referring to the company’s “Healthy Habits for Life” campaign.

CHANGING
PALETTES

“This
is the first generation of children who may not outlive their parents,” she
continues. “There’s been a rise in type 2 diabetes, which is diet-related, and
other cardiovascular diseases in young children. We have always dealt with
health and wanted to give it extra attention to get children to try new foods.”

The
importance of the family mealtime is emphasized in Sesame Street with the game-show parody “Meal or No Meal” in
which the healthy meal has to be identified from amongst the junk food. “It has
to be done in an edgy, funny and relevant way—being preachy is not the
approach,” says Truglio.

The
very popular show LazyTown has
had a positive impact on children’s lives in the numerous territories where it
has aired. And the show’s creator and star, Magnus Scheving, has made promoting
healthy living a lifelong quest. “I started as a public speaker,” explains
Scheving. “I went around the world to talk about fitness on behalf of the
[Icelandic] government. I saw there was no role model for health for children
and I really wanted to do something about this. I asked myself, is it possible
to make an entertaining TV program about a healthy lifestyle for kids? I held
more than 4,000 live events in 52 different countries. And I jumped up and down
with kids and parents, and I figured out that there were two things that kids
really liked: they like to move and they don’t want to be talked down to; they
want to be treated with care and respect.”

Nickelodeon
in the U.S. co-financed LazyTown
and was the first channel to air the show back in the summer of 2004. It became
an immediate hit, and went on to be successful in countless other countries as
well—proof that children respond to this type of programming when it is
engaging and entertaining. “I have thousands and thousands of e-mails from kids
who haven’t smoked or have started to exercise because of LazyTown,” says Scheving. “It has motivated people to
change their lifestyles.”

In
2005, Nickelodeon launched a multimedia health-and-lifestyle campaign entitled
“Nicktrition.” This initiative incorporates TV programs, live events and web
activities all with the aim of educating children and their parents about
healthy lifestyle choices regarding eating and exercising.

Working
with nutritionist Lisa Sasson of New York University’s Department of Nutrition
Food Studies and Public Health, Nickelodeon produced a series of tips, which
appear on hundreds of products from breakfast cereals to snacks and vitamins,
teaching kids about what fuels their bodies and suggesting ways to be more
active. They also help parents introduce kids to healthy foods and offer
suggestions for a wide variety of kid-friendly activities.

Nickelodeon
also initiated the Let’s Just Play Go Healthy Challenge,
which encourages children to eat better, play harder and feel better. The
channel has done this in association with the Alliance for a Healthier
Generation, a joint initiative of the American Heart Association and the
William J. Clinton Foundation, which believes that the best way to make kids
healthier is to help them take charge of their own well-being. Nickelodeon is
spreading the word about good health and motivating kids to join the Healthier
Generation movement.

A
PUSH FOR CHANGE

In
addition to channels, numerous production and distribution companies have
embraced the healthy living trend. MarVista Entertainment is distributing a
healthy-cooking show called Surprise! It’s Edible! Incredible!, for which 52 half hours are currently available.

Described
as Iron Chef meets Fear
Factor, the show pits two kids
against each other—they have to cook meals from scratch and then put them
to the taste test. The series has proven very successful for Canada’s CBC and
has recently been licensed to Discovery Kids in Canada. The producers are
planning a massive national initiative to encourage healthy eating and exercise
habits with a cross-country competition.

The
general awareness of the evils of junk food has reached a level similar to the
campaign against kids’ smoking done some five years ago, says Fernando Szew,
MarVista’s CEO. “Broadcasters are very conscious of the issues and they know
parents and educators are very conscious of the issues. But it has to be done
creatively in an entertaining way so it’s not a public-service announcement.
There is a danger of not getting the message across that food is good for
you—being conscious of what you’re taking in doesn’t mean you just stop
eating. I believe this is an issue that will not go away because it really got
out of control.”

Meanwhile,
DECODE Entertainment launched Halifax Film’s Bo on the GO! last April at MIPTV. The series combines
motion-capture technology and CGI to promote an active lifestyle for
preschoolers.

“This
show really ties plot and exercise together,” says Dominique Bazay, DECODE’s VP
of distribution. “There’s a real call to action by Bo, who has parabands around
her wrist to show her levels of energy. As her energy level lowers she calls
out to the kids to stand up and do the moves with her.”

Bazay
points out that this is not just a passing trend. “It’s how it’s going to be,”
she says. “Lots of broadcasters are becoming more responsible. It’s not a fad.
Southern Europe is really interested in this kind of series. In Spain, Italy
and France childhood obesity is a real hot issue because diet is such an
important part of the culture in those territories.”

GLOBAL
CONCERN

“Healthy
eating has become a concern everywhere in the world,” agrees Christophe
Goldberger, the head of distribution and marketing at Icon Animation. The company has
produced 104 two-minute episodes of the Flash-animated series Vitaminix, which teaches preschool children about the
benefits of healthy eating in a fun way. “We use one animal in each episode to
demonstrate the food or vitamin,” explains Goldberger. “So for example, Vitamin
A [which is present in carrots] is good for the eyes. Have you ever seen a
rabbit wearing glasses?” The shorts have sold to numerous broadcasters,
including RTVE in Spain, Nickelodeon Latin America, Disney Channel in Italy and
Hong Kong and EBS in Korea. “To have Vitaminix on air sends a very positive message to parents.
It’s not a show broadcasters will buy for ratings—it stimulates feedback
from parents and letters saying ‘thank you for caring.’”

“Given
the current statistics from child obesity to global warming, it is important to
infuse positive educational and entertaining messages, so kids can learn from
example in the early stages of their lives,” adds Arminda Figueroa, the former
project director for the Scholastic Entertainment property Maya &
Miguel.

In
Maya & Miguel, both brother
and sister are very active and involved in all kinds of sports and are
conscious of their surroundings. “Maya & Miguel educates while it entertains in a funny and
engaging way, through twin brother-and-sister dynamics. They are not perfect,
and some of their ideas, especially Maya’s, get them into trouble, but they
figure it out and make it happen in the end,” explains Figueroa. “This real
approach makes it engaging and entertaining to the audience, who can identify
themselves in the show.”

Breakthrough
Entertainment offers shows such as Miss BG (52×30 minutes) and Kids World Sports (26×30 minutes). Both aim to help children develop
healthier habits and outlooks on life. “As producers of children’s programming,
we have the power to educate children to implement life choices such as
exercise, healthy diets, and environmental awareness,” says Kevin Gillis, executive
producer and managing partner of the Canadian company’s Breakthrough Animation
business. “The key is to get the message across in a manner that kids will
embrace and enjoy.”

This
type of edutainment programming with a strong parental appeal is traditionally
made for preschoolers, while kids 6 years old and older are offered more
entertaining fare. But such is the obesity crisis facing school-age children
that broadcasters are increasingly willing to schedule it for older kids, too.

LEARNING
NATURALLY

A
show that takes an entertaining look at the wonders of the environment and
encourages a healthy attitude towards life is It’s a Big Big World, distributed by Sony Pictures Television
International.

It’s
a Big Big World takes place in a
giant rain-forest tree, with a host of characters, including marmosets,
anteaters, old sea turtles, frogs and birds. “It’s a preschool show, but it
really attracts kids 4 to 7 years old,” says Mitchell Kriegman, the show’s
creator. “We have science lessons in the series and we don’t hide the big
words, like ‘metamorphosis.’ We did an episode that featured brother and sister
marmosets that are looking for a missing friend. They go searching throughout
the whole tree for him and what they eventually find is that their friend, who
was a tadpole, now is a frog, and that is why they couldn’t find him—he
had transformed. We are also trying to develop awareness about environmental
issues.”

But
mostly, as Kriegman explains, “It’s a fun show; there is tons of world music
and African rhythms and Spanish rhythms.”

Portfolio
Entertainment is offering 65 episodes of the award-winning show Groundling
Marsh. This puppet series, set in
a magical wetland featuring zany creatures, offers young viewers proof that
Mother Nature has a sense of humor. “Many broadcasters feel they’ve been asked
to take the role of the parent—it’s about taking responsibility for
yourself,” says Joy Rosen, the co-founder and president of Portfolio.

While
broadcasters may be taking some responsibility for the problems facing the
young generation, advertisers and retailers have a lot to answer for, and the
family is what influences a child most.

“We
parents—all of us—are really struggling, because we are bad role
models,” says LazyTown’s
Scheving. “We work too much. We’re never home. We don’t have time to live a
balanced life. LazyTown is
about balance—not eating junk food all the time, and not eating carrots
all the time, it’s about the middle.”