28 August, 2026

For decades, cartoon characters have been some of the most powerful tools in food marketing to children. The problem is that often they’ve been used to sell products high in sugar, salt and fat. From Tony the Tiger to the Honey Monster and the Nesquik Bunny, generations of children have grown up with characters and mascots designed to make these foods more appealing. Lidl’s latest campaign turns that logic on its head, using familiar characters to promote fruit, vegetables and healthier options instead.

This summer, Lidl launched a partnership with Paw Patrol, the children’s animated tv series, across 30 markets. Characters from the show have been featured on fresh produce and selected healthier own-brand products. This comes at a time when Lidl has recently refreshed its Conscious Nutrition Strategy and its children’s marketing policy, committing that child-oriented own-brand packaging will only be used on products that meet World Health Organization nutritional criteria and Lidl’s own standards.

The campaign builds on Lidl’s longer-running efforts to make healthy food more engaging for younger consumers. In the UK, its Oaklands Funsize range gave fruit and vegetables playful names such as Banana-Llamas and Koala Pears, resulting in sales increased by more than a third after the range launched, suggesting that creative branding can play an important role in encouraging healthier choices. The Paw Patrol campaign also reflects a broader shift in Lidl’s approach. Having removed cartoon characters from products such as cereals in recent years, the retailer is now redeploying the same marketing techniques in support of healthier choices.

As we explored recently in Nudging the Nation, retailers already play an important role in shaping what we buy and eat. Rather than removing influence from the shopping experience, Lidl is showing how it can be redirected, using one of children’s marketing’s most powerful tools to encourage healthier habits instead.

By Charlotte Pounder