Lucky Leprechaun may be fired from Lucky Charms cereal

Famous icon sends wrong message on child obesity say critics

Larger Text

Print

E-mail

21 Comments

Lucky the Leprechaun from Lucky Charms cereal

Tweet

Lucky Leprechaun may be about to join the ranks of the unemployed.

The Lucky Charms icon, who has become a breakfast staple for millions of kids all over America, may be about to lose his job.

His catch phrase "They’re magically delicious” to describe Lucky Charms has captivated generations of school kids but now he may be made redundant, or forced to retire.

A backlash against sugar-laden cereals had resulted in new moves to halt obesity among kids -- and breakfast cereals are the first target.

The percentage of obese children between 6 and 11 leaped three fold between 1980 and 2008 and breakfast cereals seen as a major culprit.

READ MORE:

Vanity Fair says Damian McGinty’s ‘Glee’s’ character is a stereotypical insult - VIDEO

Talk like a real life Leprechaun - new iPhone app for kids - VIDEO

New federal guidelines are in the works and General Mills, owners of Lucky Charms and other breakfast giants may be forced to drop commercials that attract kids to their products.

It is a $10 billion a year market and the stakes are very high.

"The guidelines would be one of the most important ways for the food industry to improve children's health," said Mary Story, a University of Minnesota public health professor and expert on child and adolescent nutrition told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

The new regulations would force companies to change the marketing of their product away from health claims and enticing children.

If they don’t comply the federal government is considering banning icons like Lucky and the Trix rabbit.

General Mills spokesman Tom Forsythe said the guidelines mean "a virtual ban on advertising to kids under 12 when fully implemented. ... They are unworkable."

The effort by the government is aimed at getting the sugar content of the cereals under control

Advocates for the government claim big business is unconcerned about kid’s health in their rush to make a buck.

"They want to have their cake and eat it too," said Jennifer Harris, director of marketing initiatives at Yale University's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity. "They want to make up their own standards and pat themselves on the back for meeting them."

"It's literally a barrage from my kids when they are watching these shows. 'I want this, I want that,'" Olson said. "They will see these ads and call out for strange cereals we never buy."

Lucky Leprechaun (also known as Sir Charms, and originally called L.C. Leprechaun), was created in 1963, a cartoon character whose voice was originally supplied by Arthur Anderson.

Print

E-mail

Tweet