Illustrated Characters Charm Adult Appetites

When a friendly illustrated character catches your eye as you grocery shop, you may assume that you’re a bit too old to be included in its target audience. But nostalgia is strong and bright colors grab attention. The rise of these design elements is a huge indicator that more brands are seeking to play at your heartstrings as well as your adult sensibilities. Adult food and bev products are getting seriously playful through the use of character illustration.

Good Day ChocolateFunctionality is the name of the snack game for consumers these days. Adding a health-forward function to candy satiates that desire – and your sweet tooth. Good Day Chocolate supplements feature ingredients focused on functions like energy, sleep aid, mood enhancement, and probiotics. The brand also offers a line of on-trend CBD chocolates. Taking vitamins and wellness products that look like and taste like candy doesn’t only appeal to kids; the original chocolates were aimed at adults. Though Good Day launched as a brand for adults, they did end up expanding their product offering to include a kid-friendly line of supplements. Both varieties are branded with fanciful sun and moon characters, though the kid's version is enlivened with a more colorful and youthful illustration style.

Nightfood Ice CreamNo matter your age, you’re not immune to the late night munchies. It's a blessing and a curse, but as adults, we have the luxury of being able to indulge in those cravings if we want to. That’s where Nightfood comes in, marketed as an ideal before-bed treat and emblazoned with a series of monster characters. But what makes it so appealing to adults? In short: being healthier than your average ice cream. While the product includes no sleep aids, it does boast lower sugar, as well as added minerals, digestive enzymes and amino acids for a more before-sleep-friendly treat.

Magic SpoonWhen you think of a typical breakfast cereal, “guilt-free” and “keto” don’t exactly come to mind (unless we’re talking about something that tastes like cardboard). And with one glance at a box of Magic Spoon cereal, health food is the last thing you’d think of. Despite looking like the sugary breakfast of our dreams, the whimsically colorful packaging loudly states its high protein and low carb contents. It’s a reminder that there’s still plenty of playfulness and adventure to be had, even when you’re grown up and trying to make more reasonable choices.

Voodoo RangerBorn on the label of New Belgium’s imperial pale ale, the Voodoo Ranger has grown himself quite an impressive portfolio. The chilled out skeleton dude is decked out in a medley of costumes across the different SKU’s he represents, but always sports a grin along with his aviator hat and goggles. Though beer packaging design often showcases illustrations, mascots aren’t prevalent in the beer aisle. So, the Ranger takes center stage in the beer aisle. In addition to branding New Belgium IPA’s, he’s got his own thriving Instagram account, and even has made his way into the food aisle with the Voodoo Ranger Mango Habanero IPA Beer Bratwurst in a Niman Ranch and New Belgium collaboration.