Disney Draws Kids to Produce

Disney Garden, a produce brand from Indianapolis-based Imagination Farms LLC, is relying on Walt Disney Co. characters to attract children to fruits and vegetables.Introduced in summer 2006, the Disney Garden line comprises more than 100 stand-alone and packaged to-go items -- such as apples, oranges, watermelons, grapes, potatoes and spinach -- from 15 specialized growers, including Crunch Pak LLC, Ito Packing Inc., Ready Pac Produce and UFO Peach. The brand also offers organic items, and has announced plans to carry 200 SKUs by the end of 2007.Product packaging and P-O-P such as shelf tags and pole toppers have featured classic Disney characters such as Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse, as well as modern characters from animated films Cars, Finding Nemo and Toy Story. P-O-P materials direct shoppers to the Disney Garden web site, where kids can access recipes, healthy eating tips and nutrition information, and submit product codes for access to games. Collectible stickers, which appear on stand-alone fruit, can be printed from the site and matched in-store.According to a representative from Crunch Pak, which produces sliced apple packages featuring Mickey Mouse and characters from The Incredibles, Disney Garden's strategy is to attract kids with familiar imagery, then engage them with educational content and interactive experiences. Packaging typically outlines relevant calorie and health information on the back side, such as the number of calories kids can burn during various activities. "Parents will automatically let their kids go to a Disney web site, where the kids will learn about what they eat," said the representative. "And if they actually experience an apple, then they'll want to have another and another."The partnership also gives Disney timely promotional opportunities: Imagination Farms will support the June 29 release of Disney/Pixar Animation's Ratatouille by directing shoppers to an online instant-win game. The "Cook and Win" promotion awards one grand-prize winner with a trip for four to New York for a tour and private cooking class at the French Culinary Institute, plus a deluxe set of kitchen tools and tickets to a taping of a Food Network show. The promotion began May 17 and runs through Aug. 31.Through a similar agreement, Disney directly entered Kroger stores in summer 2006 by licensing its characters for a Disney Magic Selections line of food, baby and toddler, personal care and floral products. Magic Selections food items also emphasize nutrition: The majority of the line comprises packaged-to-go produce and dairy products, while snack and meal items lack trans-fats and contain controlled amounts of calories, fat and sugar.

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