The Real Reason Kid Cuisine Changed Mascots
If you'd like your chicken nuggets served with a side of nostalgia and sprinkles, look no further the Kid Cuisine's frozen dinners. These affordable mini-meals are known to all '90s children as the frozen dinner equivalent of a Happy Meal. The current mascot is called KC the penguin (via Kid Cuisine). The initials stand for — you guessed it — Kid Cuisine. KC is just like a regular kid, as he says, "Just like any other kid, I don't like for the fun to stop — even at mealtime." KC also has a fun-loving personality described this way: "Playful. And curious. That's because I wear a lot of hats. You can tell if you look at all my different meal boxes."
The penguin mascot joins many other well-known and loved characters on the front of Kid Cuisine boxes past. The most recent promotion features a line of SpongeBob Squarepants-themed meals (via Kid Cuisine). While the character boxes are widely recognizable today, these characters and even the mascot have changed over time.
Kid Cuisine's '90's look was totally radical
The old Kid Cuisine boxes featured an overdressed polar bear chef and a totally tubular skateboarding penguin, named "The Chef" and "BJ" accordingly (via Children of the Nineties). We're gonna grant the former spokesbird some credit and assume he's just wearing some '90s style baggie clothes — but he's noticeably a little wider than the new mascot KC. It should be noted, however, that the portly penguin was also around during the age of unhealthier food.
In fact, our more health-conscious approach to kids' food may have a lot to do with the mascot change, as well as the upgrades in Kid Cuisine ingredients. While yesteryear's version "sacrificed flavor and taste for convenience" according to Children of the Nineties, the new line has definitely improved. The Kid Cuisine promise includes the commitment to wholesome ingredients kids love, as well as protein and calcium, fiber, vitamins, and overall balanced nutrition.
While we many never know the official reason for the penguin changeup, it's likely that he is just keeping with the times.