CHARLOTTE, NC - With such a wide array of fresh produce offerings on the market, it’s no wonder that kids sometimes put up a fight when it comes to trying new things in the lead up to becoming full-fledged fruit and veg lovers. Continuing its mission to entice younger generations to eat fresh produce, Dole Food Company recently launched a campaign that centers around characters from Disney and Pixar’s movie Monsters, Inc.

“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 like horned melon, dragonfruit, and artichokes,” said William Goldfield, Dole’s Director of Communications. “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 a press release, 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. The produce leader has collaborated with the beloved Pixar film and characters to launch 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.

Goldfield explained that 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, MA, RD, Dole’s Health and Nutrition Communications Manager, include:

• Chicken Stuffed Roz Heads: 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

• Monster Mash: This frighteningly simple side dish is made with DOLE plantains and spinach, potatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil and maple syrup

• Green Slime Nacho Cups: DOLE plantains, avocados, and purple cabbage come alive in this ultimate monster snack

• Slippery Slimy Smoothie: DOLE spinach, bananas, green grapes, and cucumbers blended with almond milk and nonfat Greek yogurt

• Green Slimesicles: Healthy frozen popsicles made from DOLE Spinach, Bananas, and Pineapples

For most North Americans, the first sign of Dole’s monstrous alliance came in May when images of Sulley and Mike started appearing on millions of DOLE bananas and pineapples in U.S. and Canadian supermarkets. Produce fans 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.

“In addition to introducing (or reintroducing) families to forgotten fruits and veggies, we’re out to correct some everyday produce myths ranging from brussels sprouts will always taste bitter to there is no good use for overripe bananas. Plus, we’ll lay to rest forever the misconception that only perfectly ripe, unblemished produce is worthy of our recipes and attention. That’s because, like the characters in a Disney or Pixar feature, you can’t judge a fruit or vegetable by its appearance; nature’s true beauty often lies within. And yes, we’ll remove the anxiety and show you how to cut a DOLE Tropical Gold^® Pineapple once and for all.”

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.

For more ways that industry leaders are bringing fresh produce to the center of the plate, keep a tab open for us at ANUK.

Dole Food Company