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If you are finding it increasingly difficult to avoid DreamWorks' trumpet-eared ogre, it probably has something to do with the rapidly approaching premiere of Shrek the Third, coming soon to every available advertising and tie-in space near you. But a parents' advocacy group is having a hard time reconciling how Shrek and the gang—now appearing on specially packaged Happy Meals, Snickers bars, M&M's, Sierra Mist cans, Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Pop-Tarts, Cheez-Its and Keebler cookies—can also be the faces of the government's new "Get off your asses, lardos!" anti-child-obesity campaign. The AP reports:

"Why would young children follow Shrek's advice about healthy living and ignore his entreaties to eat Happy Meals and Pop-Tarts?" [Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood director Susan] Linn wrote. "If government agencies are serious about combating childhood obesity, they should stop cozying up to industry and start taking real steps to end the barrage of junk food marketing aimed at children."

Penelope Royall, the HHS deputy assistant secretary for disease prevention and health promotion, stressed that the public services ads were using Shrek to promote exercise, not foods.

"Shrek is a good model, especially for children who can benefit from more exercise," Royall said. "He doesn't have a perfect physique, he's not a great athlete. ... We hope children will understand that being physically fit doesn't require being a great athlete."

Indeed, Shrek is an admirable role model for less-active children—it's not as if that other brogue-afflicted Mike Meyers character, Fat Bastard, was being employed by the Department of Health and Human Services to warn the youth of America, "C'mere—I'm gonna eat ya! Just like yer genna eat yer vegetables!" Similarly, they might want to consider other areas for which the Shrek characters can provide further hypocritical health advice, perhaps spinning off the franchise's resident hot-blooded cat-slut Puss in Boots into his own public awareness campaign about the risks of contracting various strains of HIV, feline and otherwise.