It's part of what you'll find at the greenhouse exhibit The Land at EPCOT. There are Mickey pumpkins and Mickey cucumbers, all created through special ear-shaped molds that hang throughout the greenhouses. As you know, EPCOT stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow, and this is part of the interesting experiments going on there. They're not really doing all of the things promised years ago (a real community, no cars, creating a modern world, etc), but some of the agriculture experiments continue.
Apparently, Disney's new PartyFizz, a bubbly drink that's aimed at the childrens' party market, looks exactly like Champagne, with everything from a cork strapped in with wire and wrapped with gold foil to the shape of the bottle. Health officials have started campaigning against it saying that it could be a potentially dangerous gateway to underage drinking and alcoholism for children.
Now I am very liberal when it comes to certain topics like, say, oh I don't know, alcohol. However, I am only liberal about it when it comes to people who are of responsible drinking mental capacity. Notice I didn't say "age" because there are plenty of 30-year-olds out there whom I know who are not of responsible drinking capacity. However, when it comes to chidlren, I am extremely conservative, and the idea of "Champagne" for kids, even though it is non-alcoholic, is very very stupid.
We've got enough problems already with fizzy sodas, and I mean whatever happened to good old apple juice?!?!
A few months ago Nick mentioned that Fizzy Fruit may be introduced into some schools. Well many years before it made the news I tried my hand at making my own fizzy fruit at home. I had heard about the idea a few years earlier from people in the brewing industry when I was an assistant brewer during grad school in Seattle. It's pretty easy to do. I used an empty soda syrup keg, filled it with assorted fruit, added CO2 under pressure, and chilled it overnight. This carbonated the fruit, the same way soda is carbonated, so that it fizzed with tiny bubbles like champagne when you ate it.
Looking back, it was fellow blogger Joe D who taste tested that first batch with me in the winter of 1996/1997. Personally I didn't think much of most of the fruit. They all tasted good, and the fizz was fun, but except for the grapes, the fizz was more annoying than anything else. With the grapes it was actually enjoyable. I guess because they were small, sweet and tart, and you could pop whole ones in your mouth. I never thought the idea was going to go anywhere, but I guess it has.
Earlier this year, Disney announced that their theme parks would start selling healthier fare. The said that they would eliminate trans fats, place limits on the number of calories per portion and limit fat and sugar for snacks, sides and main dishes. Not wanting to be left behind, or accused of not caring about the health of their visitors, Universal Studios has announced that they will also be eliminating trans fats from their park menus.
The first phase of the switch officially took place on Christmas Eve, though the foods have been in development for some time, and now over 90% of the foods at Universal Studios locations are cooked in trans-fat free oils. The few items that are still cooked with trans fats, including churros, will be trans-fat free by the end of next year.
The parks will also be offering other healthy options, like fruit bowls and skim milk, both on kids and regular menus.
The company announced that they would eliminate trans fats from the food at their theme parks, as well as in any Disney licensed food products, and will be instituting a new set of guidelines for offering healthier food options in general:
Placing a limit on total calories, resulting in smaller portions
Limiting fat to a maximum of 30 percent of calories for entrees and side dishes, and 35 percent for snacks.
Limiting saturated fat to 10 percent of calories for main dishes, side dishes and snacks.
Limiting sugar to 10 percent of calories for main dishes and side dishes, and 25 percent of calories for snacks.
The new guidelines will be phased in gradually over the course of the next few years, although the trans-fats will be eliminated by 2008. There is no telling what effect any of these changes will have on park favorites, like churros, funnel cake and ice cream cones since their nutritional information is unknown at the moment, but it's possible that you might not be able to get some of these treats after next summer.
Well, it's not just in the UK, and it's not just Disney, either. While Disney might be the biggest player in the fruit-branding game with a partnership with 15 large growers across the country via Indianapolis-based produce distributor Imagination Farms LLC, other cartoon characters are making their way into the garden. Nickelodeon's SpongeBob SquarePants will leave his pineapple under the sea and appear on spinach. Dora the Explorer will be hawking oranges. Warner Bros. has partnered with Ready Pac produce for Tweety Bird grapes and Tasmanian Devil apples.
At least the entertainment companies are being more responsible with their gross marketing by trying to sell fruits and vegetables to kids rather than French fries.
Though Disney is ending their partnership with McDonalds and their toys will not be appearing in kids' meals, their brand will still reach its young, target audience. Disney has signed a deal with the supermarket chain Tesco to have Disney-branded fruit appear in all its stores in the UK and Europe. The goal of the campaign is, of course, marketing, though the companies say that encouraging healthy eating is important to them, too. Right now, Tesco is carrying satsuma oranges with special collectible stickers that feature characters like Winnie the Pooh. Apples and bananas will soon follow.
Disney isn't limiting this promotion to work with the British chain. It has branded baby tomatoes in France and mini bananas in Germany. There are plans to follow suit in the US over the next month or so, as well.
Animated movies often have food elements to them, just like live action movies, only more over-the-top because they aren't constrained by what is physically possible. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the French chef in The Little Mermaid, Louis. He's just too funny and his song, "Les Poissons" probably taught a lot of kids their first French word.
Disney has a new animated venture with a foodie twist coming up in 2007. The film, called Ratatouille, is about an American rat living in Paris who is a foodie - a tough lifestyle choice for a rat, as you might imagine. As he points out in the trailer (you can check out the trailer at the official site), there is lots of good food available, it is just dangerous to steal it from, say, a french restaurant that appears to be entirely staffed by Chef Louis' relatives. The film looks adorable and, as it's done by Pixar, the animation looks great - not to mention the fact that it's about food and foodies (even if the main character is a rat)!
It's a happy day for anyone concerned about overweight kids. In more McDonald's news, Disney is ending its relationship with the fast food chain amid concerns about childhood obesity, according to the Los Angeles Times. For the last decade, the studio marketed its movies by stuffing little Nemo and 101 Dalmatian figurines into Happy Meals. The deal, with netted Disney $100 million, will end this summer following the release of Pixar's "Cars" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest."
It looks like the Slate missed out in their toaster test by excluding specialty and novelty
toasters, but if "cute" had been one of their categories, these Disney toasters by VillaWare would have won
hands down. Not only is there a Cinderella
toaster, which prints a heart on one side of toast and a glass slipper on the other, but there are Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse toasters, too. Perhaps the most
interesting toaster is one that will really appeal to children while annoying the heck out of parents: the Mickey Mornin'
Toaster. It prints the unforgettable image of Mickey Mouse on the toast and it plays the Mickey Mouse Club
March when the toast pops up. This toaster would make a great gift - that way you get to see it in action without
having to live with it!
Aside from an occasional jaunt to the House of Blues, it's been quite a while since I've visited Disney World in
earnest. The last time I went, it was probably sometime in the late 80s, my age was in the single digits, and I wasn't
all that concerned with getting a decent meal. Since then, I have heard people speak highly of their restaurant
experiences throughout the world of Disney. Apparently, for some, the desire is so great that they want to recreate the
dishes at home. A site called AllEarsNet has answered the call and
currently hosts hundreds of recipes from throughout the Disney empire. Spot checking a few recipes from Epcot Food and
Wine Festival and the Animal Kingdom Lodge, most seem to be fairly thorough. All are organized by resort or theme park
(Epcot, Magic Kingdom, etc.).
Are your kids already requesting a trip to Disney World for their summer vacation, or maybe you haven't decided
where to go for some rest and relaxation this year? There is no reason not to factor food into the equation and if
you're looking for something really fun, the Disney Pop Century
Resort in Florida may be just the ticket. Not only can you relive just about every trend of your childhood at the
brightly colored complex, but the food is just as
exciting as the architecture. Retro-chic classic comfort foods, like fried chicken and mashed potatoes are served in a
TV tray, and tye-dyed colors swirl through timeless favorites like cheesecake and fluffernutter sandwiches. All the
food is served in a casual, food court-style setting, which makes it perfect for families with small children,
offering something for everyone.
Seriously, what on earth was Disney thinking? 
A few months ago Nick mentioned that 
Earlier this year, 
We've covered a couple of theme park food stories lately, including one where UK parks were 
Earlier this summer, Nicole posted about 
Though Disney is ending their partnership with McDonalds and their toys will not be appearing in kids' meals, their brand will still reach its young, target audience. Disney has signed a deal with the supermarket chain Tesco to have 
Animated movies often have food elements to them, just like live action movies, only more over-the-top because they aren't constrained by what is physically possible. Personally, I'm a huge fan of the French chef in 
It's a happy day for anyone concerned about overweight kids. In more 
Aside from an occasional jaunt to the House of Blues, it's been quite a while since I've visited Disney World in
earnest. The last time I went, it was probably sometime in the late 80s, my age was in the single digits, and I wasn't
all that concerned with getting a decent meal. Since then, I have heard people speak highly of their restaurant
experiences throughout the world of Disney. Apparently, for some, the desire is so great that they want to recreate the
dishes at home. A site called 
DIY Foods: Making homemade sausage
Cakes so amazing they'd be hard to cut into
Fruit juice: An invitation to diabetes?
