Cartoon violence has near fatal consequences in the real world
After two children get severely burned while mimicking a popular cartoon, China begins to take a second look at violence in programming
The Li brothers' tragedy began one fine April afternoon with a bit of play-acting. When 10-year-old Shun Shun ran into eight-year-old Li Haoran and his little brother Li Hao, four, just outside their village of Mawang, near Lianyungang in Jiangsu province, the three friends decided to play a game.
They would act out the big wolf roasting the lamb - an idea the boys later said they got from the popular children's television series Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.
My kids enjoy watching the TV series. We thought they were safe.
Taking the role of wolf, Shun Shun used some scrap cloth he found nearby to tie the two brothers to a tree. After piling some dried leaves around their feet, he set it alight. Within minutes, strong gusts of wind blew the fire out of control. The terrified Shun Shun ran away, leaving the Li boys screaming for help.
A passing villager heard their cries and rushed to help. But by the time the flames were put out, the brothers were severely burned.
The boys were rushed to the county hospital and transferred on the same night to a city hospital, which had better facilities.
For a month, it wasn't clear if the brothers would survive their injuries. Their conditions stabilised only after they were sent to a Beijing burn hospital through the auspices of Angel Mom, a charity that helps orphans with medical treatment.