When Neopets such as Aisha and Bori and Kougra get hungry, they gobble down McDonald’s French fries. And in one promotional campaign, McDonald’s put little plush Neopet toys in its very real kids’ meals of hamburgers and soft drinks and French fries.

All this has health advocates screaming. While cuddly cartoon creatures are plumping up corporate profits, they say, they’re hooking American kids on junk food and sending them down the seductive road to obesity.