I’m going to take a break from ‘fumin’ over the “Manhunt 2” meltdown (which has predictably escalated into a free speech and censorship brouhaha) and send you to some very logical gamer commentary posted on Joystiq and Game Politics if you want to carry on that dialogue, so enough fuming there…
Let’s take a peek at THIS cute little “Fuming Fuji” (shown here in USA Today) from the Daily Apple blog which is on the same page as Shaping Youth when it comes to some of the absurdity of kids’ food marketing!
Anyone that can use phrases like “death nuggets” and NOgurt seems prime for a humorous content swap for ongoing counter-marketing efforts like our Dare to Compare: A Gross out Game for Good Nutrition. I also like their sidebar callouts of “Big Moo, Big Pharma, Big Puff, etc.” so we’ll need to delve deeper there.
Meanwhile, Shaping Youth will point our readers to a few excellent fumes like this one on Kellogg’s recent policy which they also covered here. (we wrote about it here) AND my all time favorite of theirs is when Fuji nails the Kellogg’s frozen Eggo brand extension without waffling in the least…They slam the sugary, jelly-filled, gooey-striped, imprinted, multicolored Eggos on the market in various shapes and sizes.
One of my other bugaboos is covered on this post about those eco-atrocities, the “100-calorie snack packs.”
The Fuji fumes, “How do you justify snacking on garbage food because it is only a tiny amount of garbage food?” (The question is rhetorical, no one’s trying to take away your dang Cheetos and Capn’ Crunch–we’re all about choices and awareness, so lighten up…)
Mark Sisson’s Daily Apple has evidently created this little critter to rant at a distance absolved from their site’s fitness mission. (which appears to be a nutrition supplement biz called Primal Nutrition)
Disclaimer here: I don’t know beans about their products, but their Fuming Fuji commentary is pithy, spot-on and worthy of a look-see on kids’ food marketing!
Shaping Youth tends to take a heavy deconstructionist view on the advergaming media/mktg. and dietary/nutritional breakdowns, but this informative lil’ fruit fellow shares a fun, light-hearted personal fitness approach with some crossover to some of our own pet peeves in this arena…
Their sardonic humor is akin to the food musings, wit and wisdom on the Expatriate’s Kitchen blog which we’ll be teaming with as well…(feature to come, next week)
Here’s a sample of their tonality about the tween targeted Wonkazoids hatched earlier this spring when Nestle paired video games-n-sugar toys, in a retail gambit to spin off the media hit as a ‘diabetes dispenser.’
Fuming Fuji said:
The claim: “Now your candy’s got game,” says Nestle. This combination video game and candy dispenser is the latest wonderful Wonka offering.
The catch: Watching wax melt is more exciting than this game, which is a glorified diabetes dispenser. Even the Fuji knows a stupid video game when he sees one.
The comeback: Isn’t this a nice alternative to violent games? What harm is a little candy?
The conclusion: Candy is what is violent to young seedlings. The Fuji is going to make a Myspace page for Nestle. The Fuji will name it Pied Piper. Never mind, that has already been taken. Perhaps Malicious Marketing to Munchkins is still available.
That’s the flavor of the Fuji food-flack…
Here’s another favorite of mine they wrote on ‘enhanced soft drinks.’
Shaping Youth happens to be counter-marketing these right now, along with the sports drinks and energy drinks and caffeine ‘fusion’ concoctions. Our purpose? Truth in advertising…Give kids a reality check in fun, media-reality show formats.
“If we’re going to have soda, isn’t it better to enhance it with vitamins and natural flavorings?” Uh…no! Here’s their hilarious blurb:
The claim: Soft drinks are now coming in super-enhanced varieties loaded with vitamin C.
The catch: Soft drinks are now coming in super-enhanced varieties loaded with sugar. The Fuming Fuji cannot wait for super-enhanced lard cakes to be loaded with vitamin C also — what a difference to health that will make!
The comeback: People aren’t going to stop drinking soda. At least make it healthier!
The conclusion: Wise words. Perhaps we should add ginseng to bacon bits. Fuming Fuji predicts a new food revolution of selling the same old junk. Fuming Fuji asks what is next: Botox Burgers?
The catchphrase: When you get sick from this garbage food, at least you will not be deficient in Vitamin C.
Anyway, you get the drill…their blog has some very er…”digestible” content!
I’ve started a dialogue about some content swaps over there with Sara, their editor, who encouraged us to point our readers to their fumin’ fruit and agreed we should share leads and info back and forth on sugar-filled concoctions and dietary drek…so stay tuned!
If anyone else has sites to point me toward (on media/marketing’s influence on kids that are in line with our objectives: not banning/regulating/censoring but awareness, education, deconstructing) give me a heads up, and ping me anytime!
Meanwhile, enjoy Fumin’ Fuji’s crisp and sour little snippets…They’re fun! Glad to have found them. (ok, they found me, but they seem like “good apples” so I’m looking forward to hearing more!)
Recap & reminder of our policy, people, purpose, and projects:
(just seeing how much alliteration I can cram into one sentence 😉
Policy: Shaping Youth is a nonprofit 501(c)3 with NO political, religious, or censorship agenda. Our only ‘cause’ is the emotional and physical well-being of children.
People: Media producers and consumers (that covers everyone)
Purpose: Read more about us on Answers.com or on BlogHer, or our counter-marketing objectives and site placeholder here!
Shaping Youth is a consortium of media and marketing professionals concerned about harmful media messages to children. We’ve aligned with parents, academics, corporations and organizations ready to shift the toxic values being marketed to youth and flip the media message in a healthier direction…
We’ll be launching our counter-marketing programs to the public by year’s end…Wanna help?
Thanks for providing more Bacon information to the World! Praise B!(acon)