Eatertainment and the (Re)classification of Children's Foods

Abstract

Ideas of fun and play have emerged as dominant characteristics in children's packaged food marketing. This article examines both the expression and implications of “eatertainment” in children's packaged food products, contrasting it with the theme of engagement that typifies the marketing of many adult foodstuffs. I detail how child-oriented packaged food both embodies and communicates (historical, culturally specific) ideas about childhood, and explore how the reclassification of children's food into “fun food” brings with it a series of unintended consequences, which include commodification, the reinforcement of webs of consumption, and the encouragement of overeating.