Breakfast cereal maker Weetabix forced to apologise for calling cartoon character ‘Big Baws’

Published on 17/12/2012 11:06

IT IS often said to be the most important meal of the day. But, as some parents have found, breakfast can also be the most offensive.

• Weetabix forced to apologise after cartoon character called “Big Baws” spotted by parents on front of cereal box

• Big Baws character is part of an online game children can play online on the Weetos website

Weetabix Food Company have been forced to apologise after parents spotted a cartoon character called Big Baws on the front of a packet of Weetos. The cereal maker has also agreed to change the packaging.

“My six-year-old started chirping on about Big Baws the other morning,” one parent said. “I nearly fell off my seat.

“When I found out it was this character on the breakfast cereal box, I was very surprised.

“It’s not appropriate for something which is so clearly aimed at children.

“But it is funny,” the parent added, perhaps unnecessarily.

A spokeswoman for Weetabix claimed that the character’s name is a play on the words for “Big Boss”, before conceding that the cereal maker had not taken Scottish consumers into consideration.


“We now understand that this phrase might also be interpreted in a different way in Scotland and are working on amending the pack.

“We are sorry if this has unintentionally caused offence in any way.”

The X-rated character is part of an ensemble cast of five who make up the cereal’s Moustache Combat game. Each character is playable online on the Weetos website.

Big Baws is described as being “as tall as a mountain and as strong as a bear.” Children are also warned to “stay out of his way.”