The Kids Halloween Hero, Mr. Halloweenster has a message: Halloween isn't just about candy; the real fun comes from creativity and imagination, wearing costumes and being silly.

Mr. Halloweenster's Healthier Treats campaign reinforces this message by encouraging children and their families to choose healthier alternatives to candy and other junk food: treats with less artificial ingredients, fat, salt or sugar, such as dried cranberries, pretzels, raisins and granola bars.

Research shows that children can be influenced to choose healthier food when prompted by their heroes or role models. The goal of Healthier Treats is to serve as an effective influence on children's attitudes about what they choose for treats at Halloween or any time of year, and to demonstrate how children's fictional heroes can positively influence their eating behavior, as described in the article "What would Batman eat?: priming children to make healthier fast food choices" (Pediatric Obesity, Volume 7, Issue 2, pages 121-123, April 2012)

Please send comments and questions to: info@mrhalloweenster.com