If you were anything like me, cartoons, bike riding and pickup games of baseball were the order of the day.

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Demand for cartoons is like the shifting sands of a dessert, and it is hard to stay ahead of the pack in guessing where the next hot spot will be.

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Instead of promoting heavily on TV during Saturday morning cartoons, VTech advertises in publications like Good Housekeeping.

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In contrast, both Star Wars and Star Trek franchises are now burdened with the historical baggage of hundreds of related books, cartoons, manuals, and the like, with millions of fans ready to pounce on inconsistencies and voice loud criticisms.

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Revealingly, although there was outrage when, on Oct. 17, 2005, the Egyptian newspaper Al Fagr published the cartoons on its front page, there was nothing like the furious demonstrations elsewhere until after the Organization of the Islamic Conference summit meeting in December 2005.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Center For Security Policy