Fizzy’s Lunch Lab launches on PBS Kids Go on November 16
Just in time for the indulgent holiday season, PBS KIDS GO! and Boston creative group CloudKid, invite early elementary school kids to join the hilarious animated adventures of Professor Fizzy and friends in FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB (PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab) as they prepare tasty snacks, investigate the difference between good and bad food, and learn what happens once the food you eat goes into your body. FIZZY’s LUNCH LAB experience features funny characters in a variety of short video segments and interactive games and is designed to bring kids and parents together to help plan meals, make snacks and team up to make healthier eating choices for the entire family. The site will also feature extensive resources on PBS Parents (PBSPARENTS.org) and PBS Teachers (PBSTEACHERS.org) to further the learning. “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?”
“At PBS KIDS, we focus on guiding children to adopt healthy habits through our positive role models, great storytelling and engaging games. FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB is a perfect addition to our menu – it is interactive content that empowers children to make the right choices and advance their knowledge about healthy eating and exercise,” said Sara DeWitt, Senior Director, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! Interactive. “PBS has been increasing its commitment towards original Web-only properties and video online. With an average of 1.3 million streams per week, kids are eating up video on PBSKIDSGO.org, and we are confident they will love meeting Professor Fizzy and his friends there, too.”
The FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB Web site at PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab will feature animated and live-action shorts, fun interactive recipes, interesting food facts, and exciting interactive games that guide children towards making smarter food choices. At a time when healthy eating and nutrition are more crucial then ever, FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB gives children a chance to play with their food, and eat it too. Co-creator Dave Schlafman explains, “We don’t want to force-feed the information, so we try not to use kid-phobic words such as ‘healthy’ or ‘nutritious’. We created the Lunch Lab to get everyone excited about cooking. The educational component is our way of slipping the broccoli in with the dessert. Evan and I also wanted a ‘trickle-up’ effect – getting kids so excited about the content that they want to share it with their parents.”
Showcasing a vibrant cast of original characters, FIZZY’S LUNCH LAB stars Professor Fizzy, the Lunch Lab’s funny and fabulous host. Warm, engaging, and just a little bit scatter-brained, Fizzy is an energetic, effervescent culinary genius who loves to educate kids and families about the importance of nutrition, physical activity, and a good laugh. Also joining Fizzy is his trusty sidekick, Mixie-Bot; Sully the Cell, our guide to the human body; Corporal Cup, the kitchen’s drill sergeant; and finally, Fizzy’s greasy nemesis, Fast Food Freddy. While The Lunch Lab may suffer from Fizzy’s absent-mindedness and misadventures, the gang never loses their excitement and curiosity about food, and look forward to every fun experiment. Laughter is Fizzy’s favorite ingredient and his friends are always cooking up something tasty.
The Lunch Lab content will rollout over the course of 10 months (40 weeks). Each week, PBSKIDSGO.org/lunchlab will launch a new animated video with a fun printable recipe for kids and parents to enjoy. Monthly food and nutrition themes will help guide the message and menu, while each animated short will teach new concepts pertaining to the featured theme.
