Wal-Mart in México, LazyTown in Healthy Lifestyle Initiative

March 13, 2008 World Screen

MEXICO CITY, March 13: Wal-Mart de México and LazyTown Entertainment have partnered for a new multi-year initiative that addresses child obesity in Mexico.

The collaboration involves the rollout of a range of healthy products, ideas and solutions for parents, engaging campaigns, community events and targeted promotions. The initiative is aimed at delivering comprehensive, affordable healthy lifestyle solutions to Mexico’s children and families. Mexico currently ranks second in the world in obesity, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The OECD study also reported a 40-percent increase in childhood obesity from 1999 to 2006.

Wal-Mart de México and Lazy Town have worked together in the past. At the end of 2007, LazyTown and Wal-Mart’s Vips restaurant chain signed a license agreement to develop a children’s menu with LazyTown’s nutritional guidelines.

“This is such an exciting opportunity for LazyTown”, said Magnus Scheving, the creator of LazyTown and the series’ lead character, Sportacus. “I have personally been on a mission for over 15 years to motivate kids to make better lifestyle choices and it is fantastic to work with a partner like Wal-Mart de México that shares in this the same vision and has the distribution to carry the message and solutions to the people.”

“We view this partnership as an extension of Wal-Mart de México’s primary mission to help people live better and of our previous experience with LazyTown in developing healthy dishes for our children’s menu at our Vips restaurant chain,” said Raul Arg?, the senior VP of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart de México, “so we are especially excited to take a proactive position in addressing such an important social challenge in Mexico. Wal-Mart de México has already made a strong commitment to kids health with our Play and Food Bring Health to Your Life Program at elementary schools, and I believe that this valuable alliance with LazyTown will extend that focus to our stores.”

—By Irene Lew