Aug 15, 2007 6:04 AM, PROMO Xtra, By Amy Johannes

Green Giant's Sprout character show kids how to be strong and healthy through a series of videos

Green Giant is enticing kids to consume more vegetables with new packaging and an online game and videos designed to make eating greens fun.

The company is using its iconic spokescharacters the Jolly Green Giant and Sprout to encourage healthy eating. Under its Mighty Giants program, Green Giant is launching a kid-friendly Web site and seven 15-second videos airing on Nickelodeon to show the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.

The Web site at MightyGiants.com features a program that teaches kids healthy eating habits and exercise through an interactive game. It also includes an area for parents with links to other educational sites for children.

In one video, Spout and the Jolly Green Giant shows kids how they be a “giant” by getting active. The characters encourage kids to do jumping jacks during commercial breaks. Another video features Sprout tells kids to pick vegetables in all of their favorite colors.

The videos play off the theme of “being a giant,” encouraging kids to eat healthy and to stay active.

General Mills developed the Mighty Giants campaign with the Bell Institute of Nutrition and Health.

Online marketing supports the program.

And starting next month, popular Nickelodeon characters, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer and Diego from Go, Diego, Go will appear on packages of frozen bagged and canned vegetables (Promo, May 31, 2007).

Packages of frozen vegetables will contain collectible stickers of the characters parents can use to reward kids, the company said.

Nickelodeon characters will be included on canned cut green beans, niblets corn, Mexicorn and white corn.

“Parents tell us they look for motivating ways to encourage their kids to eat vegetables,” said Jon Nudi, marketing vice president, Green Giant. “Teaming Nickelodeon characters with Green Giant vegetables offers parents extra tools to teach their kids healthy habits early on.”

Studies show that 96% of children don’t eat the minimum recommended five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables a day, Green Giant said.

The Green Giant Vegetable Habits Survey of parents and children ages six to 10 by Kelton Research found that three out of four children (73%) don’t eat vegetables with dinner every night.

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