I don't see how not putting a cartoon on a box of cereal is going to change obesity at all.

For one thing if people didn't have such sedentary lives and spend waaaaay too much time watching tv they wouldn't be seeing so many ads in the first place and they'd be healthier for getting out of the house.

For another thing I'm not one that is much influenced by ads of any kind, they just tick me off by interrupting my movies, filling up half my $4.50 magazine that should have cost half that, and most of them just plain don't make sense anymore and are stupid.

Actually I'm LESS likely to buy a product that advertizes heavily. And don't even get me started on drug companies advertizing their drugs on tv to get you to bully your dr. into prescribing their product!!

I look at my neighborhood around me and see several nice playgrounds that are never used because...
1) parents are too lazy/selfish themselves to take their children there to play.
2) the kids are not taught respect for property and so can't be trusted away from the home so they let them play LITERALLY in the middle of my street!

When I was a kid my mom would let me watch x amount of tv on Saturdays before shutting it off and making me go outside 'for some fresh air' and play time. I was not allowed to watch tv after a certain time at night and only x amount of tv per day. We had one tv and it was not in anyone's bedroom either. I was allowed far more time outside to play, mom took me to the park and library regularly (by walking not driving) and we frequently went on walks or bike rides together even in the winter!

Now-a-days (makes me feel old to say it that way) kids are TOLD to 'go watch tv' or given their own tv's/computers just to get them out of the parents hair and be quiet for hours on end. If anyone wants to truely fight childhood obesity THAT is where they should start, not whether or not there's a cartoon rabbit advertizing a cereal! JMHO