Turkey's health minister, Osman Durmus, has urged TV stations to remove POKEMON from their line-up in light of two children suffering injuries copying the actions of the cartoon's characters. On Friday, November 24, 7-year-old Seda Aykanat suffered a broken leg when she leapt off the fifth-floor balcony of her apartment. Previously this year, a 4-year-old boy in Turkey also sustained injuries copying the super-powered stunts of POKEMON characters. Durmus called for an expert study on the effects of POKEMON on children and in the DAILY HURRIYET that the show removed kids from reality and desensitized them to violence. However, he doesn't urge the outright ban of the cartoon and its horde of merchandise, fearing that that kind of action would draw curious children to the product more quickly. "Putting the cartoon off the air all of a sudden could lead to serious problems," Durmus said. "Televisions must over a period of time make (children) forget the cartoon."
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
