Heroic Paw Patrol pups and fun-loving Trix Rabbit are influencing children’s preferences for unhealthy foods

From goofy SpongeBob SquarePants to cackling Count Chocula, new research points the finger at the lovable cartoon characters as supervillains in enticing kids to choose junk foods. In the first Canadian study of its kind, University of Ottawa researchers examined whether cartoon characters used in food marketing influenced children’s food preferences, and teased out whether the type of character made a difference. Read more.