The popular Nickelodeon cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants is a master of all media. In 2003 alone the adventurous yellow sponge generated $1.5 billion in licensing revenues for Nickelodeon’s parent company Viacom Inc. In television ads and in the aisles of supermarkets, he extols the virtues of Rice Krispies treats, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its, a cereal bearing his name, Eggo waffles and E.L. Fudge cookies. But if a group of Massachusetts plaintiffs have their way, SpongeBob and children’s other favorite characters are going to have to step out of the food-marketing spotlight.
Consumer watchdogs Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), along with two Massachusetts parents, are suing Kellogg Co. and Viacom in a Massachusetts court. They are asking the court to enjoin the companies from hawking high-fat, sugar-filled foods with marketing specifically targeted to young children. They are claiming statutory damages in excess of $2 billion.
