Shrek Too Fat for Ads?

The Associated Press reports that children’s advocacy group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood wants the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to drop DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek character from anti-obesity PSAs. Not only is the green ogre rotund himself, but the group says his upcoming animated feature, Shrek the Third, has too many promotional ties with unhealthy foods.

“There is an inherent conflict of interest between marketing junk food and promoting public health,” Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood director Susan Linn wrote in a letter to HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt. “Surely Health and Human Services can find a better spokesperson for healthy living than a character who is a walking advertisement for McDonald’s, sugary cereals, cookies and candy,” adds Linn, an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

HHS plans to continue using the highly recognizable character as a spokesperson for its public service campaign, which launched in February and features Shrek and his animated pals delivering messages about the importance of exercise. The project is a joint project of HHS, the Ad Council’s Coalition for Healthy Children and DreamWorks Animation SKG.

Shrek the Third opens May 18 and is accompanied by promotional deals with a number of food products of questionable nutritional value. The movie has product tie-ins with McDonalds, Mars Inc.’s Snickers and M&M’s candy products, PepsiCo Inc.’s Sierra Mist drink and Kellogg Co.’s Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and Keebler cookies.