Scholars of Saturday morning TV programming assure us that there is a movement away from cartoon series based on popular toy lines. So where are the fellas in marketing now plying their trade? Well, have you strolled down the cereal aisle at the supermarket lately? There have always been cartoon-character tie-ins with kiddie (which is to say usually sugar-saturated) breakfast fare, like the Flintstones with Cocoa Pebbles. But recently, Ralston Purina has taken this cross-promotional tactic to extremes. Their new line of cereals includes Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Nintendo Cereal System (cereal system?) and Batman, as well as Breakfast with Barbie. Way to go, guys. Let's clobber those tykes with the hard sell before they can rub the sleep from their eyes.
Your Reaction
