Kellogg’s has launched two new high fibre, non-HFSS snack bars which feature the popular kids cartoon, Bluey, on pack.
The commercial logic behind the use of Bluey is apparent – the show hit 12.8 billion viewer minutes across BBC and Disney+ combined in 2024 in the UK alone. Kellogg’s also saw a previous Bluey launch – non-HFSS, high fibre multigrain cereal – fly off shelves, becoming the brand’s best performing NPD in 2025.
So this latest release is bound to see little hands plucking it from the shelves in a hope to sneak it into the trolley.
What is perhaps more interesting to note is the shift it represents across the food sector.
The changing face of cartoon-led food branding
A 2020 UK survey of 532 products found that 51% of food and drink products with cartoons on pack were HFSS.
This Kellogg’s launch demonstrates an evolution - the marketing tactics are old hat, but what’s in and being call out on these products is changing.
“We know parents are often looking for snacks that strike the right balance between taste and nutrition, especially as children grow beyond the toddler stage and choices become less clear,” said Holly Wright, senior brand activation manager for Kellogg’s.
“Bluey Snack Bars are designed to meet that need, offering a non-HFSS option that doesn’t compromise on taste or fun.”
Looking at launch from an external perspective, Suzanne Aller, founding partner at Untapped Innovation, added: “We’re seeing a shift in family-focused food innovation where it is not just about creating healthier products, but also about making healthier choices feel just as rewarding.
“Parents are looking for better everyday options, but they also need confidence that their children will enjoy them. Characters like Bluey can encourage trial, but the product still has to deliver through familiar flavours, satisfying textures and a genuinely enjoyable eating experience.”
She continued: “As more brands reformulate to meet non-HFSS targets, we’re likely to see even greater emphasis on flavour, texture and the overall eating experience, making healthier options feel less like a compromise and more like a positive choice.”
What’s in the Bluey bars?
Whilst Kellogg’s latest launch reflects how the industry is changing in line with need and regulation, the experts we spoke to said it raises bigger questions around health and responsibility.
“Non-HFSS doesn’t automatically mean healthy so there is a real responsibility for the industry on character usage,” NPD expert, Lucy Wager, flagged.
“Oats and crispies with chocolate chips is a better choice than what it’s up against arguably, but I still think a lot of non-HFSS products miss the mark on the broader health aspect.”
For Wager, there’s still an untapped opportunity: “What’s still missing is proper wholefood-based snacks for lunchboxes. Fruit, oats, seeds, (nut-free!), and tasty enough that kids will actually eat them and come back for more and importantly develop healthy eating habits that go into adulthood.
“Not many brands are getting that right, but this is a step in the right direction.”
Registered Associate Nutritionist, Alexandra Sutton, agreed it’s a positive move to see animations on high fibre, non-HFSS products, but aired concerns over processing.
“Reformulating to meet the non-HFSS threshold is a step in the right direction and historically cartoon characters have often sat on less healthy products. But processing is a separate question that non-HFSS does not measure, and both bars classify as ultra-processed under NOVA,” she said.
“This is still a 100 calorie ultra-processed bar, oats held together with glucose syrup. In my view, the character is what makes a child want it, and the calorie flash on the front is what reassures the parent saying yes.”
The jury is still out on processed foods but the product certainly doesn’t come under clean label - a trend which is gaining more and more momentum.
Challenger brands are filling this gap, think Freddie’s Farm and Bear, but the pull of Bluey will definitely be a powerful trigger for children.
With countless examples of copycat products across the sector, perhaps we’ll see a Bluey clean label product in the future.
As Dolby highlighted, as we see more mainstream ‘healthier’ snacks fronted by high-recognition characters, the industry needs to take the time to ask itself whether these products are genuinely encouraging children to develop healthier tastes or just making treat-adjacent snacking easier to justify.
