A poster of "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" [Global Times]

The cartoon's future

Now that the creator is gone, many Shin-chan fans worry that they will not see the lovely little boy again. But TV Asahi has announced that the cartoon series will continue on the small screen, according to media reports.

"In fact, Usui's death has little impact on the Shin-chan cartoon series," Sheng said. "The cartoon has been published for more than 20 years and there is a team working to create new episodes."

Many famous manga cartoon characters survive the deaths of their creators. Doraemon is still updated on screen even though its creator, Fujiko F. Fujio, died in 1996.

Foreign cartoon merchandise, such as Disney toys, stationery and clothing, is marketed around t he globe.

By contrast, the mainland cartoon market is just beginning to develop. There are projections that China's cartoon industry will eventually be worth more than 100 billion yuan (US$ 14.6 billion).

The film "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf" issued last year has gained great popularity and earned 8 million yuan in ticket sales on its opening day, surpassing "Kung Fu Panda." There are now more than 200 imitators of the Chinese cartoon.

"The success of the 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf' is exciting, but the cartoon is still mainly for young children," Sheng said. He hopes there will be more and more cartoons for children of all ages.

"I hope the mainland will have its own master as famous as Usui one day," Sheng said.

(Global Times September 26, 2009)