Healthy Habits for Life
Encyclopedia
Healthy Habits for Life is a series of segments and storylines in children's television series
Sesame Street
. Launched in season 36, the segments are a "multi-year, content-driven initiative to help young children and their caregivers establish an early foundation of healthy habits that can last a lifetime".
became a critical issue in the public mind, and was reinforced as a cause for concern by data published by the US Centers for Disease Control.
Sesame Workshop, as a developer of many kids programs, took interest in promoting healthy lifestyles to its viewers. According to people from Sesame Workshop, "Health has always been a part of our Sesame Street curriculum, therefore we will always be committed to ensuring kids are given information and messages that will not help them become healthy and happy in their development. For season 36, we have turned up the dial in health, but it will always be part of our curriculum."
The Healthy Habits for Life programming was launched In 2005, to encourage young viewers to lead more active and nutritious lifestyles.
The Workshop formed an Advisory Board consisting of experts such as Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States
. This board examines the research of other organizations, and also conducts pilot studies to determine which areas of research should be expanded, based on social, ethnic and socio-economic sections of the population.
At the start of every show, before the sponsorship list and opening sequence ran, a "Healthy Moment" segment aired. Generally, these included celebrity guests like astronaut Buzz Aldrin
, game show champion Ken Jennings
, or singer Alicia Keys
as well as George Lopez
the actor.
As part of the Healthy Habits programming, Sesame Workshop began "broadening Cookie Monster
's eating habits". In actuality, the company had begun broadening his intake as early as 1990 with the song "Healthy Food", by Christopher Cerf
. The song was remade for 2006 with rapper Wyclef Jean
as a guest star. A 1999 Sesame Street Beat Newsletter for parents discussed his balanced lifestyle:
The international media picked up on the story, but instead a high percentage twisted it into sensationalism, with headlines like "'Sesame Street' tosses its cookies" or claiming the character was "sent on a diet". An Internet petition/boycott received hundreds of signatures of support, from misinformed web users.
governors in 2006. Participating were Governors Mike Huckabee
(R-AR), Frank Murkowski
(R-AK), Felix Camacho (R-GU), Dirk Kempthorne
(R-ID), Kathleen Sebelius
(D-KS), Kathleen Blanco
(D-LA), Jennifer Granholm
(D-MI), Kenny Guinn
(R-NV), John Hoeven
(R-ND), Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
(PPD-PR), Bob Taft
(R-OH), Don Carcieri (R-RI) with his wife, Sue Carcieri, Jon Huntsman, Jr.
(R-UT), Jim Douglas
(R-VT) and Joe Manchin
(D-WV).
released the VHS/DVD Happy Healthy Monsters.
A series of books from Random House
, called "Happy Healthy Monsters" were released. They were Squeaky Clean (All About Hygiene), with Elmo, Ernie, and Bert; Get Moving with Grover with Elmo and Grover; and Elmo's Breakfast Bingo with Elmo.
Del Monte
canned vegetables featured the characters, as well as Sunkist
strawberries and blueberries. Hannaford Supermarkets ran an "Apple of the Month" promotion, featuring the characters on various varieties' stickers, with activity sheets describing the unique traits of each fruit.
Children's television series
Children's television series, are commercial television programs designed for, and marketed to children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run in the early evening, for the children that go to school...
Sesame Street
Sesame Street
Sesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
. Launched in season 36, the segments are a "multi-year, content-driven initiative to help young children and their caregivers establish an early foundation of healthy habits that can last a lifetime".
Development
In the early part of the 2000s, childhood obesityChildhood obesity
Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or wellbeing. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of obesity in children and its many adverse health effects...
became a critical issue in the public mind, and was reinforced as a cause for concern by data published by the US Centers for Disease Control.
Sesame Workshop, as a developer of many kids programs, took interest in promoting healthy lifestyles to its viewers. According to people from Sesame Workshop, "Health has always been a part of our Sesame Street curriculum, therefore we will always be committed to ensuring kids are given information and messages that will not help them become healthy and happy in their development. For season 36, we have turned up the dial in health, but it will always be part of our curriculum."
The Healthy Habits for Life programming was launched In 2005, to encourage young viewers to lead more active and nutritious lifestyles.
The Workshop formed an Advisory Board consisting of experts such as Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., the Assistant Surgeon General of the United States
Surgeon General of the United States
The Surgeon General of the United States is the operational head of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps and thus the leading spokesperson on matters of public health in the federal government...
. This board examines the research of other organizations, and also conducts pilot studies to determine which areas of research should be expanded, based on social, ethnic and socio-economic sections of the population.
Launch
Throughout season 36, every other episode of Sesame Street had a health related theme to its Street-scene, and various segments.At the start of every show, before the sponsorship list and opening sequence ran, a "Healthy Moment" segment aired. Generally, these included celebrity guests like astronaut Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin
Buzz Aldrin is an American mechanical engineer, retired United States Air Force pilot and astronaut who was the Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 11, the first manned lunar landing in history...
, game show champion Ken Jennings
Ken Jennings
Kenneth Wayne "Ken" Jennings III is an American game show contestant and author. Jennings is noted for holding the record for the longest winning streak on the U.S. syndicated game show Jeopardy! and as being the all-time leading money winner on American game shows...
, or singer Alicia Keys
Alicia Keys
Alicia Augello Cook , better known by her stage name Alicia Keys, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and occasional actress. She was raised by a single mother in the Hell's Kitchen area of Manhattan in New York City. At age seven, Keys began playing the piano...
as well as George Lopez
George Lopez
George Lopez is an American comedian, actor, and talk show host. He is mostly known for starring in his self-produced ABC sitcom George Lopez. His stand-up comedy examines race and ethnic relations, including the Mexican American culture...
the actor.
Veggie Monster scare
As part of the Healthy Habits programming, Sesame Workshop began "broadening Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster
Cookie Monster is a Muppet on the children's television show Sesame Street. He is best known for his voracious appetite and his famous eating phrases: "Me want cookie!", "Me eat cookie!", and "Om nom nom nom" . He often eats anything and everything, including danishes, donuts, lettuce, apples,...
's eating habits". In actuality, the company had begun broadening his intake as early as 1990 with the song "Healthy Food", by Christopher Cerf
Christopher Cerf
Christopher Cerf is a U.S. author, composer-lyricist, voice actor, and record and television producer. He is known for his musical contributions to Sesame Street, for co-creating and co-producing the award-winning PBS literacy education television program Between the Lions, and for his humorous...
. The song was remade for 2006 with rapper Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean
Wyclef Jean is a Haitian musician, record producer, and politician. At age nine, Jean moved to the United States with his family and has spent much of his life in the country...
as a guest star. A 1999 Sesame Street Beat Newsletter for parents discussed his balanced lifestyle:
- Lately, Cookie has also taught children the importance of eating a balanced diet. This doesn't mean that Cookie rounds out his diet with plates, trucks, ukuleles, and other objects the munching monster has been known to devour. This means that Cookie now eats a fair share of salads, meats, and vegetables to set a good example for viewers at home. And Cookie doesn't mind a bit. Sure he loves cookies, but he likes the act of eating in general. As long as his mouth is full, his heart is happy.
The international media picked up on the story, but instead a high percentage twisted it into sensationalism, with headlines like "'Sesame Street' tosses its cookies" or claiming the character was "sent on a diet". An Internet petition/boycott received hundreds of signatures of support, from misinformed web users.
Follow-up
Characters Elmo and Rosita filmed public service announcements with various U.S. stateU.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
governors in 2006. Participating were Governors Mike Huckabee
Mike Huckabee
Michael "Mike" Dale Huckabee is an American politician who served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. He was a candidate in the 2008 United States Republican presidential primaries, finishing second in delegate count and third in both popular vote and number of states won . He won...
(R-AR), Frank Murkowski
Frank Murkowski
Francis Hughes Murkowski is an American politician and a member of the Republican Party. He was a United States Senator from Alaska from 1981 until 2002 and the eighth Governor of Alaska from 2002 until 2006.- Early life and career :...
(R-AK), Felix Camacho (R-GU), Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Kempthorne
Dirk Arthur Kempthorne , was the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, who served under President George W. Bush from 2006 to 2009. A Republican, Kempthorne previously served as the 30th Governor and as a U.S. Senator from Idaho...
(R-ID), Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius
Kathleen Sebelius is an American politician currently serving as the 21st Secretary of Health and Human Services. She was the second female Governor of Kansas from 2003 to 2009, the Democratic respondent to the 2008 State of the Union address, and chair-emerita of the Democratic Governors...
(D-KS), Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Blanco
Kathleen Babineaux Blanco was the 54th Governor of Louisiana, having served from January 2004 until January 2008. She was the first woman to be elected to the office of governor of Louisiana....
(D-LA), Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor...
(D-MI), Kenny Guinn
Kenny Guinn
Kenneth Carroll "Kenny" Guinn was an American businessman, educator and politician. He was the 27th Governor of Nevada from 1999 to 2007. He was a member of the Republican Party and a former member of the Democratic Party....
(R-NV), John Hoeven
John Hoeven
John Henry Hoeven III is the junior United States Senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the North Dakota Republican Party. He is expected to become the state's senior senator when Kent Conrad retires from the Senate in January 2013.Hoeven served as the 31st Governor of North Dakota,...
(R-ND), Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Acevedo Vilá
Aníbal Salvador Acevedo Vilá is a Puerto Rican politician and lawyer. He served as the eighth Governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a Commonwealth of the United States, from 2005 to 2009. He is a Harvard University alumnus and a graduate of the University of Puerto Rico School of Law,...
(PPD-PR), Bob Taft
Bob Taft
Robert Alphonso "Bob" Taft II is an Ohio Republican Party politician. He was elected to two terms of office as the 67th Governor of the U.S. state of Ohio between 1999-2007. After leaving office, Taft started working for the University of Dayton beginning August 15, 2007.-Personal background:Taft...
(R-OH), Don Carcieri (R-RI) with his wife, Sue Carcieri, Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Huntsman, Jr.
Jon Meade Huntsman, Jr. is an American politician and diplomat who served as the 16th Governor of Utah. He also served in the administrations of four United States presidents and is a candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.Huntsman worked as a White House staff assistant for...
(R-UT), Jim Douglas
Jim Douglas
James H. Douglas is an American politician from the U.S. state of Vermont. A Republican, he was elected the 80th Governor of Vermont in 2002 and was reelected three times with a majority of the vote...
(R-VT) and Joe Manchin
Joe Manchin
Joseph "Joe" Manchin III is the junior United States Senator representing West Virginia. Manchin, a Democrat, was Governor of West Virginia from 2005 to 2010...
(D-WV).
Education and Research Advisory Board
- Leann Birch, Ph.D., Professor, Human Development and Family Studies, Penn State University
- Dominique DawesDominique DawesDominique Margaux Dawes is a retired United States artistic gymnast. She was 10-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team, the 1994 U.S. all-around senior National Champion, a three-time Olympian, a World Championships silver medalist and a member of the gold-medal winning "Magnificent...
, three-time Olympian, Olympic Gold Medalist - Neil Izenberg, M.D., Chief Executive of Nemours Center for Children's Health Media; Pediatrician at the Alfred I. duPont Hospital for ChildrenAlfred I. duPont Hospital for ChildrenAlfred I. du Pont Hospital for Children is a pediatric hospital located in Wilmington, Delaware. It is controlled by the Nemours Foundation, a non-profit organization created by philanthropist Alfred I. du Pont in 1936 and dedicated to improving the health of children. It is also referred to as the...
; Professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical School - Woodie Kessel, M.D., M.P.H., Assistant Surgeon General, HHS; Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
- Ronald E. Kleinman, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics Harvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical SchoolHarvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
, Chief of the Pediatrics, Gastroenterology and Nutrition Unit at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and Associate Chief of MassGeneral Hospital for Children - Mary Frances Picciano, Ph.D., Senior Nutrition Research Scientist, Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of HealthNational Institutes of HealthThe National Institutes of Health are an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services and are the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and health-related research. Its science and engineering counterpart is the National Science Foundation...
- Michelle PierceMichelle PierceMichelle Pierce is an American actress.-Life and career:Pierce was born in Palo Alto, California. She also had two sisters and one brother. Her great-grandmother was Helen Bray, star of many silent films during the early 20th century....
, Principal, Founder of Harriet Tubman Charter School - , Ph.D., Chair, Dept of Health and Physical Education at Tennessee Technological UniversityTennessee Technological UniversityTennessee Technological University, popularly known as Tennessee Tech, is an accredited public university located in Cookeville, Tennessee, US, a city approximately seventy miles east of Nashville. It was formerly known as Tennessee Polytechnic Institute , and before that as Dixie College, the...
- Ileana Vargas, M.D., Assistant Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian at Columbia University Medical CenterColumbia University Medical CenterColumbia University Medical Center is an academic medical center that includes Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, College of Dental Medicine, School of Nursing and Mailman School of Public Health...
Related projects
On 1 February 2004, Sony WonderSony Wonder
Sony Wonder is a children and family's music and home video arm of Sony Music Entertainment, founded in 1991. The division once distributed material from Sesame Workshop and Classic Media...
released the VHS/DVD Happy Healthy Monsters.
A series of books from Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
, called "Happy Healthy Monsters" were released. They were Squeaky Clean (All About Hygiene), with Elmo, Ernie, and Bert; Get Moving with Grover with Elmo and Grover; and Elmo's Breakfast Bingo with Elmo.
Del Monte
Del Monte Foods
Del Monte Foods is an American food production and distribution company headquartered in San Francisco, California. Del Monte Foods is one of the country's largest producers, distributors and marketers of branded food and pet products for the U.S. retail market, generating approximately $3.6...
canned vegetables featured the characters, as well as Sunkist
Sunkist Growers, Incorporated
Sunkist Growers, Incorporated is a citrus grower's non-stock membership cooperative composed of 6,000 members from California and Arizona. It is headquartered in the Sherman Oaks district of Los Angeles.-History:...
strawberries and blueberries. Hannaford Supermarkets ran an "Apple of the Month" promotion, featuring the characters on various varieties' stickers, with activity sheets describing the unique traits of each fruit.