Turning chores into classrooms: New grocery store experiment hopes to inspire learning

If you’re grocery shopping in Philadelphia over the next year you might run into a cherubic cartoon character named A.J.

Though his wide smile and trendy haircut impart a sense of whimsy, A.J. has a serious task. He wants to transform your daily supermarket trip into a learning laboratory.

A.J. is the face of “Talk It Up,” a pilot project aimed at inspiring interaction among parents and kids. At strategically placed sites across 10 grocery stores in Philadelphia, A.J. appears on small, laminated signs and prompts shoppers to play a quick game.