Irish kids today are demanding more from adventures, with their ultimate experience taking place in a magical land with Taylor Swift
- Over a third (37%) of Irish children have an adventure at least every day
- Over a quarter of Irish children (27%) chose a magical land as their perfect adventure destination
- Taylor Swift tops the list of the ideal celebrity to take on an adventure
- Mum most likely member of family to have fun with (33%)
- Children have created a rainforest themed obstacle to be unveiled at the second Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event on July 9th and 10th at Loughcrew Adventure Centre, Co. Meath.
The traditional childhood activities of climbing trees, making dens and playing hide and seek have been relegated to ‘unadventurous’, with today's modern kid wanting more exotic and varied activities, including visiting space (13%) and going to the beach (16%).
Ahead of launching this year’s Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event, an adventure obstacle course for children aged 7-12, Fruit Shoot conducted research[1] with over 500 Irish children to discover what their ultimate adventure is in 2016.
The results show that today’s generation are explorers in the making with almost three quarters (74%) stating they have an adventure every week. Contrary to popular belief children are not stuck in front of the computer all day, as over a fifth (21%) would prefer to be outside when they are not at school.
When picturing their ideal outdoors adventure, almost one in 10 (9%) children see themselves exploring the depths of the rainforests where monkeys and jaguars roam. They are not alone in their adventures, with Taylor Swift topping their wish list of celebrities to explore with because ‘she’s funny’ (33%).
When asked which member of their family children in Ireland have the most fun with, Mum comes out on top (33%) while Dad comes in a very close second (32%) and only 1% have the most fun with Uncles.
Today’s generation may be equipped slightly differently to their parents, as the traditional tools of a map (8th) and compass (13th) ranked low on their list of essentials while bringing your best friend was deemed as the most important thing to bring on an adventure (31%).
Vivienne Connolly, actress, fitness fanatic and mum of Ben (12) and Katie (9), is supporting this years’ Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event and said; “It’s great to see mammy’s topping the poll as kids’ ideal adventure partner. Being active is a very important part of our family life and I have fond memories of many shared adventures with Ben and Katie over the years. I’m thrilled to support this years’ Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder as it offers kids such a fun way to explore their sense of adventure, make new friends and get active - even if it means getting up to their necks in mud!”
Dee Cunniam, Marketing Manager at Britvic Ireland, commented; “Adventure is still a big part of Irish children’s lives today. We’re committed to inspiring kids’ adventurous side with our Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event and having a Fruit Shoot Hydro on hand will ensure they stay refreshed. We’ve put children at the heart of the Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder event and that’s reflected in the creation of a new obstacle, ‘Monkey Swing’ which we’re excited to unveil at the event taking place on July 9th and 10th at Loughcrew Adventure Centre, Co. Meath.”
The Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder Adventure research also shows:
- When asked if they could take one thing with them on an adventure, 1 in 3 (31%) kids in Ireland said their best friend followed by their mobile phone (14%) and then their games console (12%).
- The top 5 celebrities that kids in Ireland would like to take on an adventure with them are Taylor Swift, Bear Grylls, Katy Perry, Justin Bieber and Daniel Radcliffe.
- For 1 in 3 (33%) kids in Ireland, being funny is the most important characteristics in the perfect adventure partner followed by 28% who say being powerful and strong is important while a further 23% say their adventure partner mustn’t be scared of anything.
- In terms of the must do activities during the summer holidays, 4 out of 5 kids (40%) want to play games outside with their friends all day, followed by 15% who want to play computer games followed by playing in adventure playgrounds (7%) and exploring in the woods (6%).
- The biggest downer for kids during the summer holidays is ‘not seeing my friends everyday’ (33%), ‘having to sit around’ (19%) or ‘Mam and Dad being at work’ (16%).
- When asked who they have the most fun with, 33% say Mam while 32% say Dad.
- The research also shows that good old fashioned bribery is still alive and well with 1 in 4 saying that their parents give them extra pocket money to do things they don’t want to.
Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder
This year marks the second year that Fruit Shoot has partnered with Tough Mudder to produce the ultimate kids adventure course - Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder.
Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder is a one-mile obstacle course mud run designed specifically for adventure-seeking kids. The course gives kids the chance to work as a team, get muddy, and experience the thrill of adventure. It is featured at all Tough Mudder events in the US, UK and Ireland. Kids must be between the ages of 7 – 12 and over 1.1m (3.5 foot) tall to participate.
Fruit Shoot is a delicious and refreshing flavoured water drink, it is made from spring water with no added sugar and no artificial colours or flavours. Hydro will be the hero product for the Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder series.
The Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder Adventure Squad, made up of eight children, created ‘Monkey Swing’ during a creative session with ambassador Ed Stafford.
Fruit Shoot Mini Mudder events will take place at all Tough Mudder events in 2016 in the UK, Ireland and US.
[1] Survey of 500 children in Ireland, aged 7-12, by One Poll