I attended a preview of Shrek the Third last week in Syracuse, NY with about 200 delighted school children and their adult companions. Shrek 3 did not disappoint. Sophisticated, humorous asides coupled with sparkling animation techniques, stunning artwork, appropriate teachable moments, and fast-paced storylines kept both young and old audience members enthralled. This powerful animated film series has proven at the box office http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/boxoffice/weekend/ and in even in lesson plans http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=810 that the big green guy and his fairy tale companions have staying power. That’s what the US Department of Health and Human Services was counting on when they partnered with the Ad Council and Dreamworks on a campaign to combat childhood obesity featuring Shrek characters as “spokes-creatures” http://www.metacafe.com/watch/413604/u_s_department_of_health_human_services_partners_with_ad_coun/ I started wondering about the conflicting messages surrounding this beloved Dreamworks character when the audience was treated to a variety of free merchandise that included Shrek dolls, masks, and coupons for McDonald’s food products before the movie began.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood http://www.commercialfreechildhood.org/ has been wondering the same thing. This is from a Boston Globe article by Barbara F. Meltz on May 21, 2007:

“Wanting to avoid the appearance of a government agency seeming to endorse a Hollywood movie, the US Department of Health and Human Services has temporarily halted its public service ad campaign in which the animated movie character Shrek urges children to exercise. “Shrek the Third,” released by DreamWorks, opened Friday.

But, says HHS spokesman Bill Hall , “We’ll pop them right back up there as soon as the hype for the movie dies down, in six weeks or so.”

Who knew that conflicts of interest come with expiration dates?

If that’s not bizarre enough, there’s also this: HHS sees no problem using Shrek as a frontman in the fight against childhood obesity at the very same time Shrek’s image is also licensed for use on more than 75 fast-food products including M&Ms, Pop-Tarts , and McDonald’s Happy Meals.”

Childhood obesity is a growing issue for many school age children and their families nationwide as summarized in this article from the Nutrition Journal:

“Childhood obesity has reached epidemic levels in developed countries. Twenty five percent of children in the US are overweight and 11% are obese. Overweight and obesity in childhood are known to have significant impact on both physical and psychological health. The mechanism of obesity development is not fully understood and it is believed to be a disorder with multiple causes. Environmental factors, lifestyle preferences, and cultural environment play pivotal roles in the rising prevalence of obesity worldwide. In general, overweight and obesity are assumed to be the results of an increase in caloric and fat intake. On the other hand, there are supporting evidence that excessive sugar intake by soft drink, increased portion size, and steady decline in physical activity have been playing major roles in the rising rates of obesity all around the world. Consequently, both over-consumption of calories and reduced physical activity are involved in childhood obesity.”

When is it okay to use a powerful popular culture icon to sell children on changing their behavior, while at the same time expecting them to understand the difference between marketing and education? What values are communicated in a scenario where a young person might see Donkey and Shrek encouraging them to exercise on television while at the same time downing a Shrek happy meal?

Childhood obesity, prevalence and prevention