The program that has been teaching children their “A, B, Cs” and “1, 2, 3s” for decades continues to spread its influence, this time with better eating choices.
Turns out, when given a choice between chocolate and broccoli, children will tend to choose the broccoli—as long as Elmo is involved.
Initially, when given the option between a delectable chocolate bar and the less appetizing broccoli, four out of five children chose the chocolate (I want to meet the 1 in five that chose the vegetable!).
Luckily, taxpayer dollars weren't wasted on trying to crack that mystery.
But when the researchers put a sticker of Elmo on the broccoli, suddenly the results skewed to be about half and half.
A lot of schools have already discovered this little marketing secret and will put up posters with childhood favorites such as Spongebob and Sesame Street characters promoting the healthy choices.
When Spongebob tries to sell kids on green beans, 37 percent more boys and 17 percent more girls will choose the them. Still, a chocolate bar is tough to pass up!
