Sugar coating cartoons for girls: Gender stereotypical themes and the use of food in toy‐tied media

Abstract Toy‐tied media (TTM) are promotional vehicles for toys and other merchandise depicting featured characters. Across two studies, this research finds significant differences in plot themes and the frequency and types of foods present in TTM based on target gender. Study 1 uses content analysis to understand how foods (especially sweets) are utilized to show nurturance and domesticity in girls' TTM while a focus on violence in boys' TTM minimizes the plot relevance of food. Study 2 uses automated text analysis on 1041 h of TTM transcripts to quantify the occurrence of select food categories and themes. Study 2 finds that sweets occur eight times more frequently in girls' TTM than in boys' TTM and that sweets occur five times more frequently in TTM rated appropriate for viewers six and under compared to TTM rated for older viewers. The findings suggest the need for intervention and potential interventions are discussed.