Professor Fizzy might not sound like someone who you'd want making your dinner, but the folks behind the new Web site Fizzy's Lunch Lab at PBSKidsgo.org/lunchlab hope that the site, with its silly videos and interactive games, will catch kids' attention long enough to teach them about food other than chips and burgers.
"Childhood obesity is a growing problem and we realized that in order to start reversing the effects of our fast food culture, we'd have to employ some of the same tactics that fast food giants have historically used to attract children," said Fizzy's Lunch Lab co-creator, Evan Sussman. "By creating fun, animated personalities, our hope is to keep families entertained, engaged, and interested in healthy living. When was the last time you received your recipe instructions from a bellowing measuring-cup drill-sergeant?"
Besides Corporal Cup, the shorts also star Professor Fizzy, the Lunch Lab's funny and fabulous host, his trusty sidekick, Mixie-Bot; Sully the Cell, our guide to the human body; and finally, Fizzy's greasy nemesis, Fast Food Freddy. While The Lunch Lab may suffer from Fizzy's absent-mindedness and misadventures, the gang always looks forward to each experiment.
The Lunch Lab content will roll out over the course of 10 months, and it started Nov. 16. Each week, there will be a new animated video with a printable recipe, build around a theme, such as baking with whole wheat.
At a time when healthy eating and nutrition are more crucial than ever, Fizzy's Lunch Lab gives children a chance to play with their food, and eat it too.
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