Ah, How Sweet It Is!

By J.D. Reed

"Mommy, Mommy! I want Turtles! Gimmie Barbie! Can I have Batman?" Cruising the cereal aisle in the local supermarket these days is like changing channels on Saturday morning: a Crayola parade of sugarcoated turtles, ghosts, bats and bears goes by. Kids have an insatiable sweet tooth for breakfast foods based on cartoons, movies, toys and games, a fact that has cereal makers rubbing their hands and a growing cadre of parents hollering "Enough!"

Stars have been used to sell breakfast at least since Olympian Bob Richards promoted Wheaties. But the presweetened concoctions that currently have little palates tingling may leave grownups fumbling for another cup of decaf or a couple of Tums. Hard on the heels of the cartoon craze and hit movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cereal is doing kitchen box office. It consists of tiny, turtle-shaped marshmallow bits mixed with "Ninja Nets," pieces of khaki- colored wheat, which is used in adult cereal as well. The taste: concentrated marzipan.

America's most fashionable doll appeared on grocery shelves last year. Breakfast With Barbie offers a bowl of itty-bitty hearts, bows and stars in lollipop colors. Ghostbusters contains marshmallow specters, and Nintendo Cereal Systems boasts fruity-flavored video-game characters. Hot Wheels, for fans of Mattell's little toy cars, blends marshmallow vehicles with frosted oat "mag wheels." Batman comes in an ominous black box, but the little bats inside are gold. Not even a nine-year-old caped-crusader freak will eat black food. The market for children's cereals is toothsome. Almost one-third of the $7 billion worth of ready-to-eat cereals sold in the U.S. is aimed at kids. Ralston Purina, which makes mainstream breakfast foods like Rice Chex, produces about 90% of "licensed character" cereals for youngsters. The products almost sell themselves. Says John McMillan, an analyst with Prudential Bache: "You don't really have to advertize. Just let the kids watch the cartoons."

That is just the problem for parents, who worry about the nutritional value of the breakfast blasts. In many presweetened cereals, sugar amounts to approximately 40% of the weight, or about one tablespoon a serving. Some nutritionists believe a moderate amount of sugar is O.K. for kids who ! otherwise eat well. "I wouldn't say that everyone should eat six candy bars a day," says Fergus Clydesdale, food-science professor at the University of Massachusetts. "But in moderation and as part of a varied diet, sugar would cause no problems."

Other experts are concerned that children who continue to load up on the "empty" calories in sweet foods may not get a proper nutritional balance. Bonnie Liebman, a nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, finds it ironic that "the same companies that are making cereals with whole grain, lots of dried fruit, high fiber and few preservatives for adults are still using sugar and refined flour and artificial flavoring for kids." Most everyone agrees the sweet stuff promotes tooth decay. "I tell kids they should throw away the cereal and eat the boxes," says Richard Holstein, a New Jersey children's dentist. "At least they'd get some fiber."

Given the flashy packaging, kids might be willing to try. And they will have plenty of chances. New cereals seem to pop up with every trip to the market, and manufacturers are poised to sugarcoat the next craze, no matter how short its life-span. After Dick Tracy hits the 'plexes next month, it is a fair bet that little wrist radios will be floating in milk on the nation's breakfast tables. Can The Simpsons be far behind?

With reporting by Janice M. Horowitz and Elizabeth Rudulph/New York