CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM The 5 A Day Friends and Lani Moo stopped by Trinity Christian School last week, where Tori Griffiths got up close and personal with the pineapple. If you look closely, you'll see that the pineapple has only four fingers, while the banana has five. Why? It's a mystery.

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By Betty Shimabukuro
bshimabukuro@starbulletin.com

I have green spiky hair. My shades -- I wear them indoors, even. I am so cool, I fight scurvy. I am the pineapple.

It is these life-affirming words that I would like to hurl at the half-sized human who is poking at me, but I am not allowed to speak. So I waddle toward him, hoping to back him into a corner, where he will be menaced by my sheer size. The large grin permanently affixed to my face, however, liquidates the threat and the man-child continues to laugh and poke.

Will there be pulp on the ground? His or mine? Thankfully, we never learn. My handler appears and cheerfully separates us. "Don't poke the pineapple," she says. "Be nice to the pineapple."

Poker Boy retreats and is replaced by kinder, gentler children who want to high-five, shake hands and hug.

Such are the perils and the peace-making that make up a day with the 5 A Day Friends.

HMSA developed the Friends -- five giant fruits and vegetables -- as part of a nutrition campaign, the theory being that kids will eat better if they can interact with humanized versions of healthy foodstuffs. ("Hey Mom, I made friends with a big pineapple today! Let's go eat one!")

It was in an attempt to better understand this message that I volunteered to step into the pineapple suit for a school visit last week.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM It's off to work they go -- the pineapple, the banana and the cow were led across the Trinity parking lot by their handlers, who saw that they didn't trip.

More on the healthy message later, first a few words about mascot life.

No. 1, we do not speak. "I think that's standard in the mascot industry," says Jason Paloma of HMSA's community relations department.

Children view the Friends as "giant Teddy bears," Paloma says. Speaking could ruin that image and make them seem more like Chucky, the murderous doll from "Child's Play." Paloma didn't make up that last part, I did. He and his team are as relentlessly cheerful as the Friends.

No. 2, it is hot inside the pineapple. Usually, no one spends more than 20 minutes inside the suit. There are little fans at the top, but they don't work. Makes you really appreciate those people in the Mickey Mouse, etc., costumes walking around Disneyland in the blazing California heat.

Things most often said to the pineapple: "Hey, Pineapple!"; followed by, "Why are your arms so short?"

Yes, the pineapple costume is very dome-like, ideally suited to someone with the proportions of a chimpanzee. This means the pineapple cannot clap hands, which is unfortunate, as every Friends' appearance is full of happy cheering and such.

Instead, Jammin' Joe Pineapple (that's his full name) must be satisfied to slap his cheeks, wave and give shakas. But at least he can make a shaka. Lani Moo, who is with us on this school visit, cannot, as she is cloven-hooved.

We express our personalities with our gestures. As Jammin' Joe, I bob around jauntily, as I am supposed to be cool. Melemele Anna Banana is a girlie-girl, so she does a lot of covering her eyes and lips in coy fashion.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STAR-BULLETIN.COM The Friends do not let children see them dress. But if you promise not to show this to any kids, we'll tell you what's inside a pineapple: orange tights and arms attached to a mesh pullover shirt. Betty Shimabukuro put on the suit, left, while Valerie Toyama pulled on her banana bottoms.

Paloma is the boss of the Friends. He and his teammates cart the costumes around, stuffed into canvas bags marked "banana," "broccoli," etc. They take turns climbing into the costumes, as well.

We are at Trinity Christian School in Kailua, visiting some children who entered the 5 A Day Song Contest. Finalists will perform Saturday at Ala Moana, but these kids are not finalists, so we are their consolation prize. Us, and some Meadow Gold frozen fruit bars that Lani Moo brought along.

The Friends were created in 1998, as cartoon images that HMSA used to illustrate nutritional messages. The costumes came a year later, at a cost of $5,000 apiece. "What the 5 A Day Friends do is help to bring the campaign to life," Paloma says.

What does HMSA get out of this? Well, if you start your nutritional education with children, there's a good chance they'll grow into healthier adults. Healthy adults put less strain on their insurance carriers. "The bottom line is, the healthier people are, the less utilization," is how Paloma puts it.

March is Nutrition Month, so the Friends have been making a lot of appearances. This is their busy time, along with September, which is 5 A Day Month.

OK, so what is 5 A Day? I suppose it is time to make a point here.

5 A Day is a national campaign aimed at getting people to eat a minimum of five fruits and vegetables every day. That's two fruits and three vegetables, for a total of five.

For the specifics, we turn to Jodi Leslie, who heads the 5 A Day Coalition within the state Department of Health.

HMSA The 5 A Day Friends, from left, are Moshi Moshi Mushroom, Pala Papaya, Rocco Broccoli, Jammin' Joe Pineapple and Melemele Anna Banana. For information on visitations of the 5 A Day campaign, call HMSA at 948-5412.

People have a tendency to view the 5 A Day requirement as too much to deal with, Leslie says. "They think it's a ridiculous message so they just ignore it."

If you break it down, though, it's really not that hard. If you drink orange juice in the morning, three-quarters of a cup equals one fruit. One down, four to go.

One cup of leafy greens or a half-cup of other vegetables such as cut-up tomatoes makes up one portion. A typical salad can easily be worth two vegetables. Three down, two to go.

Leslie says you get the most nutritional benefits from fresh, raw fruits and veggies, but no one says you have to be a purist. Frozen, canned and cooked foods are good, too. "You're still going to get lots of benefits."

Just watch that you don't overdo the fat or salt, thereby doing bad things to yourself while trying to do good. Dried fruit counts (quarter cup per serving). So do pickled vegetables, although you might want to think of those as boosting your veggie count and not as the foundation.

It can be tricky, Leslie admits, as the world conspires to make it easier to find a bag of chips at snack time than, say, an apple. She suggests cutting up vegetable sticks on the weekend and bagging them individually to last the week. Then stock up on some portable fruits. That way, you can scoop up your veggies and a fruit as you run out the door in the morning.

If you're buying a plate lunch, ask for greens instead of macaroni salad. Most places have the option, Leslie says, "but they won't have it on the menu -- you have to ask." So ask. And if you're in a fast-food restaurant, add a salad or something like the McDonald's fruit and yogurt parfait. "It all counts."

Just don't try to sneak french fries in as a vegetable.

Making Friends The 5 A Day Friends host a song contest: On stage: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Place: Ala Moana Centerstage For example: This song, by students from Waimalu Elementary, sung to the tune of "Only You": Only you Can make the choice that's right Only you Can eat them day and night Only you and you alone, Can eat the right foods, It's a choice you make You and only you.

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