I will not bite the hand that feeds me Butterfingers...

Or so wrote Bart during the chalkboard sequence of a Simpsons episode.
I thought of that soundbite today, after hearing that Nickelodeon plans to prohibit the use of its characters on junk food products. Starting in 2009, the network's characters - such as SpongeBob SquarePants and the Rugrats - will only be allowed to appear on packaged food products that meet "better for you" criteria established by Nickelodeon’s marketing clients. The children's programming giant joins Discovery Kids and Walt Disney in passing the initiative, which was designed to encourage exercise and healthy eating habits.
I think this is a great idea. Really, I do. But (and here's the possibly unpopular part of my opinion) I think it's often too easy for people to blame cartoons, movies, the local school district and fast food restaurants for the nation's growing childhood obesity epidemic. While there is some truth to this, I think parents also need to do a better job of monitoring what their child is eating.
All in all, I agree Jimmy Neutron's face should not be plastered on a bag of chips. At the same time, I hope this doesn't affect any TV show content. Imagine SpongeBob passing out granola bars instead of flipping Krabby Patty burgers. Or Cartman digging into a salad rather than snarfing down Cheesy Poofs. Can you really envision Homer eating tofu instead of pink donuts? It just doesn't seem right.
Anyhoo, those are my thoughts, for whatever it's worth.
In honor of this topic, I'm including one of the many Simpsons Butterfinger commercials that aired back in the day.

Splenda-fied

Have returned from Memorial Day "hiatus" with a renewed perspective on swim wear and sugar-free living. First, rummaging through an inbox bulging with emails (I forgot my crack-berry on vacation) I found this interesting survey information, confirming that people want to adopt a reduced calorie or reduced sugar lifestyle. Why? More folks are reading labels and discovering unwanted calories in full- sugar products. AT wonders if those "16 little calories" from each tsp. of sugar has anything to do with an epidemic of expanding bottom-lines? Link to article on the increasing popularity of sugar-free foods, on Yahoo! News:
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/070611/20070611005088.html?.v=1