CHARLOTTE, NC — Dole Food Co. has teamed up with Pixar Animation to help encourage kids to eat unfamiliar fruits and veggies with the aid of Monsters, Inc.
Just as Monters, Inc., characters Sulley and Mike famously tamed their fears and learned to love Boo, Dole seeks to “take the scare out” of specialty fruits and veggies with a unique summer initiative designed to widen the public’s produce horizons to create new family favorites beyond the tried and true.
Through the collaboration with Pixar, Dole is launching original recipes, serving suggestions, digital and social activations, family-friendly activities, fun trivia, and influencer partnerships that celebrate the not-so-scary realm of the world’s more unusual fresh produce options.
“Dole’s passion for produce includes not only America’s favorites – bananas, apples, lettuces, celery, carrots and broccoli – but dozens of more diverse and exotic fruits and vegetables liked horned melon, dragonfruit and artichokes,” said Bil Goldfield, director of communications of Dole. “Whether it’s their angry names and thorny exteriors, or simply a misperception about taste and preparation, produce paranoia has become a very real phenomenon. Even the beloved pineapple, the fruit at the very heart of Dole and the universal symbol for aloha and hospitality, can strike fear in those tasked with having to cut and serve one.”
According to Goldfield, Dole worked closely with the team at Pixar and Disney to create 10 original “Monsters in the Kitchen” recipes inspired by Sulley, Mike, Roz, Boo and other Monstropolis residents. The first five scary delicious dishes created by Melanie Marcus, Dole’s health and nutrition communications manager, were added to the Dole recipe library:
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Chicken Stuffed Roz Heads: Create the face of the iconic Monsters, Inc. receptionist by topping DOLE® Avocado halves stuffed with lean chicken breast, DOLE® Green Grapes, DOLE® Celery and nonfat Greek yogurt with pretzel twists and sticks, and DOLE® Strawberry and Blueberry slices.
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Monster Mash: This frighteningly simple side dish is made with DOLE® Plantains and Spinach, potatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil and maple syrup.
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Green Slime Nacho Cups: DOLE® Plantains, Avocados and Purple Cabbage come alive in this ultimate monster snack.
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Slippery Slimy Smoothie: The whole family will love this monster-green concoction of DOLE® Spinach, Bananas, Green Grapes and cucumbers blended with almond milk and nonfat Greek yogurt.
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Green Slimesicles: Dessert time takes an icky-but-tasty turn with these healthy frozen popsicles made from DOLE® Spinach, Bananas and Pineapples.
Customers can go to the Dole At-Home Resource Page to download a series of activity sheets including DOLE® Banana Sticker Peel-and-Play collectors’ sheets, a Monsters produce-matching game, and DIY monster masks and crafty ways to turn fruit and veggies into friendly kitchen monsters.
Dole social activations, produce trivia, and blogger- and influencer-hosted promotions, plus five additional character-inspired recipes and several DIY recipe videos, will be revealed later this summer.
The in-store and at-home adventures are part of Dole’s year-long celebration of Pixar Animation Studios and a larger, long-term nutritional alliance with The Walt Disney Company designed to make healthy eating and a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables more fun and accessible to busy parents.
