When I was a little kid we had candy cigarettes. Looking back that seems like a pretty messed up thing, but this beats it by a mile. In Japan they are marketing non-alcoholic beer to children called "Kidsbeer" (and they've been doing it since 2003). Here are direct quotes from the article:
Asaba [the creator of Kidsbeer] said kids and other people "can raise a glass with this, even if they cannot drink any liquor."
Satoshi Tomoda, president of the beverage maker, said: "Children copy and mimic adults.
"If you get this drink ready on such occasions as events and celebrations attended by kids, it would make the occasions even more entertaining."
"Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink," reads the product's advertising slogan.
Is there some massive cultural disconnect that I'm missing here? There has to be, right? "Even kids cannot stand life unless they have a drink"??? Are you kidding me? It sounds like they wrote it in The Onion.
Kidsbeer proves hit suds for minors [The Japan Times] via Boing Boing
The Kidsbeer Shop if you're interested in picking some up (and you read Japanese).