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Cartoon characters attracting kids to unhealthy cereal is nothing new, but a new report says the characters can actually influence the kids' perception of taste.Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communications developed four make-believe cereal boxes – two marked "Healthy Bits," and two marked "Sugar Bits."
One box of Healthy Bits and one box of Sugar Bits each featured the penguins from the movie "Happy Feet," and children were asked to try the cereals.
"If there was no character on the box, children who saw the 'healthy' on the label liked it more than the sugary one, even though they tasted the very same cereal," said Sarah Vaala, a doctoral candidate at Penn, and a study author. "When there was a character on the box, they chose the one with the character, whether it was healthy or not."
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