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>> Mrs. Obama:
Well, welcome
to the White House.
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I'm thrilled to have
you all here today.
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As many of you know, last month,
we held the first ever
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White House Convening on food
marketing for children.
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And I stood in this exact room
in this exact same spot
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with representatives
from America's
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leading companies
and organizations.
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And I issued a simple challenge:
I challenged those leaders
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to market food more
responsibly to our children.
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I challenged them
to use creative,
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innovative marketing strategies
to get our kids excited
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about healthy foods.
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And today, just six weeks later,
it is no surprise
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that Sesame Workshop
was the first organization
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to answer this call.
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Because that,
more than anything else,
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is Sesame Workshop's mission:
To help our kids learn and grow
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and fulfill every last bit
of their potential.
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And that's why,
nearly a decade ago,
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Sesame Workshop created
their Healthy Habits for Life
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initiative to teach kids about
healthy eating and exercise.
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And that is why, today, they're
taking the unprecedented step
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of letting America's produce
companies use Sesame Street
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Muppet characters to get kids
excited about eating fruits
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and vegetables, and they're
doing this free of charge.
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Yes!
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[laughter and applause]
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Free!
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Yes, Mel, free.
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[applause]
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Right here in the pocketbook.
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Like that.
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[laughter]
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This is a huge deal, and I want
to take a moment to express
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my appreciation to Mel Ming and
everyone from Sesame Workshop
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for everything they are
doing for our children.
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You guys are phenomenal,
and it is always a pleasure
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and an honor to work with you.
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I also want to thank Larry
at PHA for their work
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on this initiative and so many
other important initiatives.
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You all have been phenomenal,
and I am so proud
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and so grateful.
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And of course, I want to
give a big thank you to Jan
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and to Bryan Silberman and the
Produce Marketing Association.
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Their members are already
hard at work preparing
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to deploy the Sesame Street
Muppet characters
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on behalf of fruits
and vegetables.
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You guys are ready
to roll, that's good.
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[laughter]
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And these new efforts
are so incredibly important,
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because right now, when it comes
to marketing food to our kids,
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as you all know, the deck is
stacked against healthy foods
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like fruits and vegetables.
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The average child watches
thousands of food advertisements
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each year, and 86 percent
of these ads are for products
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loaded with sugar, fat or salt.
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By contrast, our kids see an
average of just one ad --
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just one ad --
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a week for healthy
products like water
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and fruits and vegetables.
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Just one.
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And the ads that our kids are
seeing are highly effective,
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particularly those that feature
the TV and movie characters
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that our children have
come to love and adore.
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And you don't have to
take my word for it.
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The research bares it out.
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In one study, researchers
gave children a choice
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between eating an
apple, a cookie or both.
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Surprisingly, the vast majority
of kids went for the cookies.
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I might do the same.
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[laughter]
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But when the researchers put
Elmo stickers on the apples
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and let the kids choose again,
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nearly double the number
of kids went for an apple.
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That's right, just that little
Elmo sticker, the power of Elmo,
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was enough to get kids excited
about eating a healthy snack.
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So just imagine what will happen
when we take our kids to the
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grocery store and they see the
Sesame Street Muppets lining
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all over the produce aisle.
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Just imagine.
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Imagine.
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[laughter]
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Mel's eyes are like, oh,
it's going to be good.
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[laughter]
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Just imagine what it's going
to be like, moms and dads,
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when our kids are begging us to
buy them fruits and vegetables
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instead of cookies,
candy and chips.
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It can happen.
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That's what this new
collaboration between
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Sesame Workshop and the
Produce Marketing Association
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is all about.
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It's about showing our kids
that healthy food can be fun
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and that fruits and vegetables
just don't make us feel good,
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but they also taste good.
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So this is a very
important step forward.
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But while Sesame
Workshop and PMA might be
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the first to answer our call,
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there is plenty
of work left to be done,
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and there are plenty
of different ways to show
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leadership on this issue.
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So I am looking forward to
celebrating more companies and
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more organizations as they step
up on behalf of our children.
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And today, we have
a very special surprise.
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I am thrilled to be
joined by two furry friends
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from Sesame Street --
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[laughter]
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-- who will be playing
such an important
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role in this new effort.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
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I present to you
Elmo and Rosita!
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[applause]
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>> Rosita: Hola!
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>> Elmo:
Hello, Hello Mrs. Obama!
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[laughter]
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>> Mrs. Obama:
It's great to see you.
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Elmo, I love the tie.
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You dressed up for
our press conference.
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>> Rosita:
And I wore my pearls,
my mom's pearls.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Oh, my God, they're beautiful.
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>> Elmo:
Can Elmo tell you a secret?
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Yes, please.
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>> Elmo:
It's a clip-on.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
It's a -- oh, it's a clip-on.
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>> Elmo:
It's a clip-on.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
So, how do you guys feel
about getting kids pumped up
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and excited about
eating healthy foods?
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>> Elmo:
Oh, well, it's wonderful.
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Elmo loves healthy foods.
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Yes, Elmo thinks that fruits
and vegetables are delicious.
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>> Rosita:
Yes, sí, sí, sí, me, too.
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And you know what?
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They help us grow
healthy and strong.
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Check out these muscles.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Let me see your muscle.
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Let me see it.
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>> Elmo:
Oh, that's a giant
muscle, Rosita.
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[laughter]
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>> Mrs. Obama:
It's mighty, mighty.
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Oh, yes.
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Oh, Elmo, oh, your muscle,
too, is so powerful.
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>> Rosita:
Let me see your muscle.
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Oh.
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[laughter]
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Wow, strong.
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>> Elmo:
You know, Elmo eats lots
of fruits and vegetables
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every day, Mrs. Obama.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
That's very good.
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>> Rosita:
Oh, that's wonderful,
Elmo, because you know what?
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>> Elmo: What?
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>> Rosita:
Fruits and vegetables
are anytime foods.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
They are.
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>> Rosita:
You know what that means?
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>> Elmo: What?
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>> Rosita:
They're so good for you that you
can eat them every single day.
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[laughter]
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>> Mrs. Obama:
All the time.
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All the time.
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>> Elmo:
You know what Elmo
loves about them, too?
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>> Mrs. Obama: What?
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>> Elmo:
They're very colorful.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
They are pretty.
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>> Elmo:
Lots of different colors.
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>> Mrs. Obama: Yes.
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>> Rosita:
And the more colors
you eat, the better.
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Yes.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Lots of colors are good.
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>> Elmo:
It's like a rainbow of food.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
A rainbow of food.
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>> Rosita:
Beautiful rainbow.
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>> Elmo:
Can Mrs. Obama say it?
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A rainbow of food.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
A rainbow of food.
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[laughter]
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It's beautiful.
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>> Elmo:
And even if some of
the foods are foods
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that Elmo's never tried before,
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Elmo likes to try new foods
because they're so colorful.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
That's very good.
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I'm so proud of you.
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>> Rosita:
Yo también.
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Me, too.
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>> Mrs. Obama: Sí, sí.
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>> Elmo:
Yes, yes --
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Excellent.
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>> Elmo:
And, Mrs. Obama?
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>> Mrs. Obama: Yes.
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>> Elmo:
What are some of
your favorite foods?
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>> Rosita:
Yes, tell us.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Oh, I love sweet potatoes.
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I love broccoli.
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And you know what?
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I love them when
they're put on a pizza.
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I love veggie pizza.
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>> Elmo:
Now, wait a minute,
wait a minute.
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>> Mrs. Obama: What?
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>> Elmo:
We're talking about
healthy foods here,
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and you're going to
put cheese on them?
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>> Rosita:
But it's good.
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[laughter]
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Is that funny, Elmo?
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>> Elmo:
That's hilarious.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Veggie pizza is
very healthy for you.
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>> Rosita:
Do you know how you
say broccoli in Spanish?
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>> Elmo: How?
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>> Mrs. Obama: How?
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>> Rosita: Broccoli.
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[laughter]
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>> Mrs. Obama: Broccoli.
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That's excellent.
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Well, these are all good foods,
and we're going to help kids
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learn to love all the
fruits and vegetables.
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In fact, we actually have many
of these fruits and vegetables
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growing in our White
House Kitchen Garden.
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Yes.
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>> Elmo: Oh.
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>> Rosita: Really?
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>> Mrs. Obama:
And guess what?
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>> Elmo: What?
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>> Mrs. Obama:
We've got a bunch
of kids here today.
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They are out there
at the garden,
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and they're going to help
us harvest our fruits
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and vegetables for the fall.
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>> Elmo:
Oh, really, really?
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Yes, yes.
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>> Elmo: Wow.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
And then we're going to
cook a tasty meal for us all
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to share after we
harvest the vegetables.
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>> Elmo:
Oh, that's very exciting.
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>> Rosita:
Oh, oh, this is good.
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Yes, yes!
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>> Mrs. Obama:
It's going to be good.
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It's going to be good.
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[laughter]
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So here's the thing --
do you guys want to help?
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>> Rosita: Sí.
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Pero, claro que sí.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Do you want to come
and help us harvest,
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and then eat with the kids?
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>> Elmo:
That sounds wonderful.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
All right, well then,
let's get it done.
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>> Rosita:
Let's get it done.
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>> Mrs. Obama:
Let's Move.
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Let's Move.
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Let's Move.
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Let's Move.
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Let's Move.
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[applause]
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All right, I'll see you guys.
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I'll see you guys.
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Bye.
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00:08:52,200 --> 00:09:04,600
[applause]
252
00:09:04,600 --> 00:09:07,830
I have to go change
to go out to the garden.
253
00:09:07,834 --> 00:09:10,734
I've got to beat
Elmo and Rosita.
254
00:09:10,734 --> 00:09:12,704
But thank you all for the
work that you're doing.
255
00:09:12,700 --> 00:09:16,630
As you can see, we've got some
good ambassadors right here.
256
00:09:16,633 --> 00:09:18,303
I think this is going to help.
257
00:09:18,300 --> 00:09:22,100
So, once again, thank you
all, and we will see you soon.
258
00:09:22,100 --> 00:09:23,770
At the next press conference,
259
00:09:23,767 --> 00:09:26,867
we're announcing
the next initiative, correct?
260
00:09:26,867 --> 00:09:27,837
All right, you all.
261
00:09:27,834 --> 00:09:28,964
Take care.
262
00:09:28,967 --> 00:09:31,897
[applause]
