Cartoon Meal Box for Preteens

I need a fresh, eye-catching meal box that instantly grabs the attention of 9- to 12-year-olds as soon as they sit down for lunch. The brief is simple: use lively cartoon characters as the main visual language. Think bold colours, playful poses and a style that feels a little more “pre-teen cool” than toddler cute, so the older kids proudly carry the box around rather than hiding it.

Key points I want you to weave in:
• Attraction first: every panel should invite the child to pick up the box, turn it around and explore.
• Cartoon character theme: original characters or licensed-free creations are both fine, as long as they feel modern and adventurous.
• Age fit: humour, copy and iconography must resonate with 9–12 year olds—avoid anything that skews too babyish.

Deliverables
1. Flat dieline artwork (print-ready PDF and layered source file in AI or PSD).
2. 3D mock-up or rendered preview to demonstrate how the final box will look assembled.
3. Colour palette and font references so my printer can maintain brand consistency.

Acceptance criteria
• Artwork aligns precisely with the supplied dieline dimensions (I’ll send these once we start).
• All text remains legible at actual size.
• Final files pass a quick pre-press check with my printing partner.

If you’ve designed kids’ packaging before, feel free to share examples; otherwise, a short concept sketch will help me see your direction. Let’s make a meal box the students can’t wait to show off.