Laugh all you like, but there’s money in cartoons.

My three-year old grandson, Cooper, has introduced me to Fireman Sam over the last couple of years and we have watched quite a bit of it on TV together. So much of it in fact, that there are times when I find myself humming the signature tune when I’m out in public.

A man of a certain age, singing songs from children’s TV programmes, while walking along the street, is guaranteed to get himself noticed. And not in a good way.

Not everybody likes him though. Fireman Sam is 30 years old this year and London Fire Brigade Commissioner, Dany Cotton, says that there’s “no such thing as a fireman” and that it’s time to “shake off outdated language”. On the cartoon’s 30th birthday, London’s first female commissioner has called on its creators to bring Sam up to date.

She said she has written to the makers of ‘Fireman Sam’ and asked them to reconsider naming him ‘Firefighter Sam’ to join in on the inclusive nature. She likes the fact that it’s a cartoon that educates people and helps children learn about the dangers of fire. But she would like him to come on board and be called ‘Firefighter Sam’.

Ms. Cotton surely has more pressing matters to attend to than the trials and tribulations of an animated fireman, fireperson or firefighter. I would have thought that pouring cold water on a children’s cartoon is hardly a burning issue for the fire chief. (Sorry, couldn’t resist it).

Having said that, children’s programmes are big business.
Fireman Sam is an animated children’s programme set in a fictional village in Wales, called Pontypandy and Sam is the local hero. There are many other characters in the show but the rest of the village is made up mainly of a shop, a café and some houses with a population of about fifty.

Pontypandy is not a safe place to live in. In fact, it’s one of the most dangerous villages on the Planet and it’s always on fire but nobody ever dies despite all the carnage.

Sam’s boss, Station Officer Steele, is useless but thinks he’s great. Not unlike some bosses I’ve come across in my time.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. You’re saying to yourself that this poor guy is losing his marbles if he spends his days watching cartoons. But there’s method in my madness and I’ll tell you why.

According to Dr. Laurel Steinberg, a New York based psychotherapist, kids’ cartoons can be a support treatment for people suffering from stress because they incorporate themes like community order, friendship, family and teamwork. The fact that good always wins over evil and the sun will always shine tomorrow is a positive message.

That can help to restore optimism and give someone a break from worrying or feeling sad, all of which can elevate their mood. Some cartoons can also be educational and can teach kids to count or say the alphabet. Dr. Steinberg also believes that cartoons can reduce anxiety and depression.

Not only are cartoons good for your health, but they also provide an additional benefit. They can substantially increase the size of your bank balance. Fireman Sam has been translated into twenty-five languages and is shown in over 40 countries and is making a pot load of money for the creators.

Peppa Pig, is another cartoon that features a little female pig. Peppa lives with her younger brother George, and her parents, Daddy and Mammy Pig. Their favourite past-time is jumping in muddy puddles. They look a bit strange and not a lot happens in the episodes but Cooper loves it.

He’s obviously not the only one because Peppa is a global brand. In 2015 the three guys who created her sold 70% of their company for nearly £150 million and last year it was predicted that the cartoon was on its way to becoming a £1.4bn global brand as TV and merchandise sales took off in the US, France and Asia.

But by far, Coopers favourite programme is ‘Ryan’s Toy Review.’ Ryan is a six- year old boy who lives in America with his parents. They film him as he opens boxes of toys and plays with them. It is a very simple formula. The kid plays with different toys while the parents record his activities and then the videos are uploaded to YouTube.

They started doing this in 2015 and already it is the fastest growing channel on YouTube and he now has an estimated net worth of something in the region of $18 million.

It all started when Ryan was watching similar videos and he asked his parents why he wasn’t on TV like the other kids? So, they decided to give it a go. They saw it as a bit of fun and a great way for them to spend some time together as a family.

They soon realised they were getting a lot of hits on the Internet and in no time, they were attracting millions of viewers. In less than two years they have achieved well over 11 billion views. Not bad for a high school chemistry teacher and a structural engineer with no prior experience on YouTube.

It seems incredible that such a simple idea could prove to be so popular and such a money spinner. Ryan is like kids everywhere, he loves playing with toys. The only difference here is that his parents film him doing it and instead of playing with his friends, he’s playing with those toys for an online audience of millions. Ryan’s toy reviews are so popular that he was the second biggest channel on YouTube by March 2016.

That’s given me an idea. I have the camera and a few bits of Lego, now I just need Cooper to cooperate.