First Toon Cricket, and now toon merchandising. Cartoon Network is determined to cash in on its popularity in the subcontinent by creating brands out of its characters.

Warner Brothers has tied up with Gotham Entertainment Group to produce comic books featuring Cartoon Network's popular cartoon stars. Dexter, Johny Bravo, the Powerpuff Girls, Scooby Doo, The Flintstones and The Jetsons will now speak in local languages in comic, colouring and storybooks for kids via a licensing agreement between Warner Brothers consumer products worldwide publishing and Gotham Entertainment Group in India. Needless to say, Cartoon Network denizens will now assail kids not only on TV, but also on the streets, at school and in their rooms.

All the books in the series will first be published in English, with plans to publish in Indian languages including Bengali, Hindi, Malayalam, Punjabi, Tamil and Telugu before the year is out.

The 36-page comics will be brought out every month and will be made available nationwide at bookstores and newsstands for Rs 10 each. Gotham will also launch activity books, colouring books, stickers and game books featuring the Cartoon Network characters. The books in the series will help develop memory, reading and spelling skills, and an opportunity to learn scientific experiments using simple household items.

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