Associated Press
ISTANBUL, Turkey — Turkey’s health minister urged TV stations Saturday to replace Pokemon cartoons with other children’s programs after a 7-year-old girl jumped off a balcony, apparently believing she was a Pokemon character with superhuman powers.
Seda Aykanat, who jumped off her fifth-floor balcony Friday and broke her leg, was the second Turkish child to jump off a balcony apparently to imitate Pokemon characters, cartoon animals with special powers. Earlier, a 4-year-old boy sustained injuries after a similar jump.
Health Minister Osman Durmus already had asked ministry experts to study the effect of the Pokemon cartoon on children. The experts concluded Friday that the cartoon distanced children from reality, confused them by presenting both "good and bad heroes," and desensitized them to violence, the daily Hurriyet reported Saturday.
"Putting the cartoon off the air all of a sudden could lead to serious problems," Durmus said Saturday. "Television must over a period of time make (children) forget the cartoon."
The Pokemon phenomenon originated in Japan three years ago as a Nintendo Game Boy game. It quickly expanded into cartoons, comic books and trading cards, becoming a multibillion-dollar enterprise and enjoying enormous popularity.
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