LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Wisdom, fun, and tasty treats, too — that’s what grandmas are made of. Now one entrepreneurial grandma in California is sharing her wisdom with more families. She created StickyLickits, a line of eat-able stickers that entice kids to be more adventurous eaters, especially when it comes to fruits and veggies. Just in time to celebrate the last week of National Nutrition Month, parents can find StickyLickits featuring YouTube kidfluencer Ryan Kaji of Ryan’s World at more than 350 Walmart stores in California, Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Wyoming, Oregon, New Mexico, and Montana.
“Every parent knows that it can be a struggle for young children to taste and eat the healthier foods on their plates,” said Linda York, grandmother of two and founder and CEO of StickyLickits. “Our all-natural, edible stickers help to motivate children to eat more fruits and vegetables because they make mealtime more fun. Parents also love StickyLickits because the stickers encourage children to taste a variety of foods and build healthier eating habits.”
Using the bite-size stickers is simple: kids simply lick, stick, and eat their creations. The dissolving stickers are 100% natural with a tapioca base that kids say tastes like marshmallows or cotton candy. StickyLickits do not contain sugar, additives, or allergens like soy, dairy, or peanuts. They’re also kosher, vegan, non-GMO and gluten-free. Packages contain 30 stickers each and can be found in Walmart’s produce department, right next to the fruits and veggies they’re designed to encourage.
“StickyLickits helps to capture the lively imaginations that children bring to the dinner table,” said York. “Most importantly, the stickers help to introduce and nurture a healthy relationship with food.”
While formulating a sticker with all-natural ingredients has been a top priority from the start, so has the stickers’ design. Researchers at the University of Bari Aldo Moro in Italy found that 5- and 6-year-olds choose healthy foods like kiwis, carrots, and tomatoes over their usual name-brand snacks if the healthy items had a sticker featuring their favorite cartoon character. Even kids who had never tried or overtly disliked the healthier options were still swayed by the sticker.
Now, three years after the line first launched in October 2019, StickyLickits span numerous designs featuring popular characters like Sesame Street, Paw Patrol, SpongeBob SquarePants and now Ryan’s World, along with the original Doodle Dums and Making Faces designs.
StickyLickits’ latest design, which rolls out exclusively in select Walmart stores this month, showcases nine-year-old Ryan’s World influencer Ryan Kaji’s animated alter egos: Super Hero - Red Titan, Daring Detective - Super Spy, and Global Adventurer – World Tour. A slight shift from the previous cartoon-inspired packaging, the new design reflects the growing prominence of kidfluencers and their loyal following.
“Aligning with a brand like Ryan’s World adds to the appeal of StickyLickits,” said York. “Ryan is fun, familiar, and relatable to kids. He and his family are also big believers in the importance of encouraging healthy eating habits.”
The Ryan’s World franchise spans a YouTube channel with more than 30 million subscribers, as well as games, apps, and consumer products. While much of the content centers on play and toys, Ryan and his family also share informative, educational content featuring everything from science experiments to family adventures.
According to York, StickyLickits are also the perfect solution for road trips with kids, birthday parties, school snacks and lunches, Easter baskets, and everyday celebrations. Knowing its many uses, StickyLickits is inviting parents and educators to share kids’ fun experiences and interactions with the edible stickers, demonstrating how they help to make mealtime easier, by emailing HowWeSTICKY@stickylickits.com and posting fun photos and/or videos on their public social media platforms using the hashtag #HowWeSTICKY.
About StickyLickits
StickyLickits was founded by Linda York in October 2019. The eat-able stickers are designed for today’s busy family lifestyles and solves parents No. 1 health concern: to get kids to eat more produce and make it fun. StickyLickits includes 30 eat-able stickers per pack. StickyLickits are sugar free, peanut free, tree nut free, gluten free, non-GMO, soy free, dairy free, vegan, kosher, no animal products, no synthetic colors and all natural. StickyLickits are available in the produce sections of more than 350 Walmart stores in the western United States. For more information, visit StickyLickits.com.
