You expect me to *eat* that?

It was the Hershey Kisses commercials around Christmastime that put me over the edge. In the television commercial, a factory produces Hershey Kisses. As a chocolate drops onto the conveyor belt, it appears happy and proud to be a Hershey's Kiss. It is wrapped, given a high-five, and launched into a candy bowl... where it is promptly unwrapped ... and devoured!

Oh, the humanity! How could they eat that Kiss which had been so happy to be from Hershey?
And at Christmas?!?

For several months, I've been asking my children, “Why is my food talking?”

Granted, the Hershey Kiss didn't say anything, but it had a personality. Have you noticed how many commercials portray your food as living creatures?

M&Ms.
Chips Ahoy cookies.
Those dancing California Raisins.
(Give me a minute. I'll think of more.)

Over the weekend, I saw a new one that was simply horrifying. It was for Hot Pockets Sideshots. On the commercial, three Sideshots stand next to each other as the middle Sideshot introduces himself and his brothers. While he speaks, a human hand appears and grabs one of the meat pockets. As the pocket dude is carried off screen, he is screaming in terror. Screaming! His "brothers" shudder in horror.
This is supposed to make me want to eat one? Ew.
Hey, why is my food screaming? Ick.

I was a little more than uncomfortable with the Pretzel M&Ms commercials when they came out. I don't care how accepting the pretzel was with his fate of being crammed inside an M&M; the M&M didn't like it, and neither did I.

Does anyone else feel just a little icky about Frosted Mini Wheats soaking their backsides in your milk? How about when one towel-wrapped Wheat tells another, "Your whole grains are showing."

::rubs eyes to clear the image::

Rice Krispies started it. “The cereal that talks,” remember? Snap, crackle, and pop.
Now, I'm okay with the characters named Snap, Crackle and Pop. Yes, they talk, but I don't eat them. I eat the food they promote. Same with Tony the Tiger, Ronald McDonald, and the Pillsbury Doughboy. They are spokes... uh, creatures. They are not food.
(One might argue the Fruit of the Loom guys are dressed as actual food, but we aren't supposed to eat their product.)

What is this trend of portraying the food itself as lovable, charming PEOPLE? Who, at the corporate level, is buying this idea and thinking it's good?

Is it just me? Does this creep you out just a little?