Obesity Action Heros

Yesterday I got to the gym only to realize that I forgot my sneakers. So I decided to check out the massive sale at Macy's. As a rule, I avoid everything between 34-50th from late November to mid-February; the crowds are insane. Last night, however, was terrible weather and it was pretty late, close to closing, so I figured Macy's couldn't be that bad. And it wasn't. I tried to try on a pair of shoes I really like but they were no longer available. I did however score an awesome deal on a great Ben Sherman shirt (I love his style, but it's much too expensive).

On the walk to the subway afterwards, I was splashed by an Enormous truck. This huge mobile had the strangest ad on it-so strange it warranted further investigation. The ad was for ObeezCity from Body Mechanics. That's right. Maybe you've heard of it. It had several action figure looking people with interesting names like Gluke (class Glucagon Hormone) and SooLyn (Insulin Hormone). It's a strange and interesting means of addressing the serious obesity problem in the country. Their mission is as follows (taken from their website):

The Vision
To fight this war against childhood obesity, we had to devise a new way of getting kids excited about their own health. Kids are smart - they want to be entertained, not preached to. When you come at them with real entertainment, they love it.
We wanted to give parents a way to role-model health behaviors that would bind the family in a fun event. We all know too well how children can resist doing the right thing if it appears boring.
So we developed The Body Mechanics Toolkit including the action-packed movie and DVD game. It's entertainment that also informs, speaking to kids in a cool, accessible way without ever becoming boring.

They introduce the genetics of obesity, the social impacts as well as awareness and prevention. Overall, it's a good idea. And just to think that for $79.99, you too can buy The Body Mechanics Toolkit and prevent obesity for your child. Or just instill good eating habits and exercise from an early age. Isn't that free?

Oh, I shouldn't be mean. It is a good idea and they are advocating prevention and education which is fantastic. But really, 80 bucks for a kit? But I guess you can fix obesity with the DVD and all, but what about ADD and increasing number of kids addicted to TV and video games, kids who don't read as much anymore? Maybe I'm just overly paranoid....