Frutoids: Ascenders of the Pyramid

With "Frutoids," USDA Seeks To Harness "Pokémon" Hype

March 13, 2001

WASHINGTON - Hoping to cash in on the grade-school phenomenon of the Japanese trading-card game Pokémon (Parents: Think baseball cards, but for imaginary pets who fight, in a sort of PG way) the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy has unveiled a new education initiative in the form of their own card game, Frutoids: Ascenders of the Pyramid.

Frutoids is a set of 60 colorful, kid-friendly trading cards that feature healthy eating choices—like apples, carrots, and tomatoes—transformed into a menagerie of cartoon creatures. Unlike the magical creatures of Pokémon, whose effectiveness in mock "battle" is based on their "evolution level," Frutoids' fighting statistics are "derived from the vitamin content and overall nutrition of the real-world food," according to an explainer posted to the agency's Web site on Monday. It further notes that "This will create an association between health benefit and desirability, or an image of being 'cool,' among children who engage with the game."

The rules of play seem to borrow heavily from Pokémon: every Frutoid has a set number of "hit points," which are lost to attacks until the card is eliminated from the table. The player with the strongest hand of cards (representing the healthiest foods) wins the battle. The cards will come in randomized "mystery packs" in order to drum up playground day-trading among card-crazed kids.

Frutoids: Ascenders of the Pyramid cards are targeted at children in grades five through eight, but don't expect to see them brought home from school quite yet: The program is being piloted at two Capitol-area school districts before a planned nationwide rollout later this year.