A nationwide survey conducted in the U.S. by marketing research firm Hypothesis has found that, for Americans aged eight to twelve, Nintendo represents the most recognized and best liked brands. A survey, entitled “Hot or Not?”, was given to two age groups of eight to twelve and thirteen to seventeen year olds, and asked them which brands, products and personalities they felt were “hot” or “not”. In the eight to twelve-year-old bracket, 42 percent of respondents chose Nintendo, followed by 36 percent for Disney, 31 percent for McDonald’s, 21 percent for Nike, while 20 percent thought that sports utility vehicle manufacturer Hummer represented the coolest brand for children. Fellow automotive brands Toyota, Volkswagen and Ford rounded out the survey with a 3 percent following, equaled by Levi, Dell and Starbucks. The favorite brand amongst thirteen-to-seventeen year olds was said to be Nike by 26 percent of respondents. Next was Hummer at 23 percent, while Abercrombie, Sony and Nintendo all registered at 21 percent. This was followed by Ford, Levi and Burger King at 4 percent, Volkswagen at 3 percent and Toyota at 1 percent. The study was conducted in May, with 670 young people between eight and seventeen years of age. The strong support for Nintendo, even among the older age range, appears to contradict some suggestions that that company’s following is becoming limited only to hardcore gamers and the extremely young.