Parents get kids who refuse to eat green vegetable to watch Popeye the Sailor Man. After gulping down a can of spinach, Popeye becomes so muscular and powerful. Wow, he is a hero. The cartoon, Popeye, is indeed a beautiful mistake.  Science studies later have discovered that spinach does not contain more iron than other green leafy vegetables.

It’s not just Popeye that is portraying food fantasies. Remember Tom & Jerry? Tom, the cat, uses all sorts of tricks to catch the mischievous but smart little mice, Jerry. Tom frequently sets mousetraps with cheese as a bait with no success. According to researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University, backed by the Stilton Cheese Makers’ Association, mice prefer foods with a high sugar content, not cheese.

Cartoons are very influential, especially to kids who don’t have the knowledge to tell what is right or wrong. Even adults will fall into product placement marketing in movies. If your kids crave for pizza, have you let them watch too much Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?