US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's post depicting beloved children's character Franklin the Turtle using a rocket launcher has sparked widespread condemnation from the book's publisher, Kids Can Press. The image, which was shared on social media by Hegseth as part of his "Christmas wish list", shows a smiling turtle in a military helmet and vest, with a US flag on his arm and a drug-laden boat exploding in the background.
The move has been widely criticized, particularly given the controversy surrounding recent US strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have resulted in the deaths of at least 80 people. The extrajudicial killings have sparked outrage and criticism from human rights experts, who argue that such actions are illegal under international law.
Kids Can Press, the publisher behind the Franklin series, released a statement condemning Hegseth's "unauthorized" use of their main character. The company emphasized the values of kindness, empathy, and inclusivity that are central to the stories told in the books, and warned against any depiction of violence or disrespect towards children.
The controversy has also spawned a wave of mock covers on social media, featuring tongue-in-cheek alternatives to Hegseth's original image. One such alternative shows Franklin heading to The Hague, while others have questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon that has inspired generations of children with its gentle and moral lessons. The character was first introduced in a series of books by author Lisa Lambert, which focus on issues such as friendship, sharing, and kindness. A television adaptation of the books featured music from Bruce Cockburn, whose own song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was written after visiting Guatemalan refugee camps during a civil war.
The Pentagon's law of war manual emphasizes that people who are wounded, sick, or shipwrecked should be respected and protected by US forces at all times. The manual also prohibits making them the object of attack. Despite this, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has defended the recent strikes as being conducted in accordance with international law.
The incident highlights the need for greater sensitivity and responsibility from public figures when it comes to children's media and characters. Kids Can Press is right to condemn Hegseth's actions, and social media users are correct to mock his original post. The Franklin character deserves better representation than a violent image that betrays its core values of kindness and empathy.
The move has been widely criticized, particularly given the controversy surrounding recent US strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that have resulted in the deaths of at least 80 people. The extrajudicial killings have sparked outrage and criticism from human rights experts, who argue that such actions are illegal under international law.
Kids Can Press, the publisher behind the Franklin series, released a statement condemning Hegseth's "unauthorized" use of their main character. The company emphasized the values of kindness, empathy, and inclusivity that are central to the stories told in the books, and warned against any depiction of violence or disrespect towards children.
The controversy has also spawned a wave of mock covers on social media, featuring tongue-in-cheek alternatives to Hegseth's original image. One such alternative shows Franklin heading to The Hague, while others have questioned the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Franklin the Turtle is a beloved Canadian icon that has inspired generations of children with its gentle and moral lessons. The character was first introduced in a series of books by author Lisa Lambert, which focus on issues such as friendship, sharing, and kindness. A television adaptation of the books featured music from Bruce Cockburn, whose own song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher" was written after visiting Guatemalan refugee camps during a civil war.
The Pentagon's law of war manual emphasizes that people who are wounded, sick, or shipwrecked should be respected and protected by US forces at all times. The manual also prohibits making them the object of attack. Despite this, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt has defended the recent strikes as being conducted in accordance with international law.
The incident highlights the need for greater sensitivity and responsibility from public figures when it comes to children's media and characters. Kids Can Press is right to condemn Hegseth's actions, and social media users are correct to mock his original post. The Franklin character deserves better representation than a violent image that betrays its core values of kindness and empathy.
I was just thinking about how weird it is when you're baking Christmas cookies and you realize you forgot the most important ingredient... like, what's up with that? 
Anyway, back to this Franklin thing... I love how some people are making fun of the whole thing by creating new covers. It's like they're poking fun at the whole situation in a non-mean way. I'm just worried that if we start using kids' characters to promote military stuff, it'll mess with our heads and make it harder to distinguish between good and bad. Like, what's next? 
this is so not cool - franklin the turtle is all about spreading love and kindness, and then some dude with a rocket launcher comes along and ruins it 
the worst part is that kids are gonna see this and think it's okay to use violence to get what they want... no thanks. social media needs to keep calling out people like him who have zero idea how to be responsible with children's characters 
? I mean, I'm all for some festive fun, but this is just plain messed up 
. The whole thing just reeks of insensitivity and disregard for what actually matters. I mean, who does this? Some dude who's supposed to be leading the free world is sharing images of kids being killed on social media? Are you kidding me? 
. It's not even funny anymore, guys. This is serious stuff. We need to start taking these kinds of actions seriously and holding people accountable for their actions. No more flippant nonsense about "following international law" or whatever 
. We deserve better than this kind of behavior from people who are supposed to be representing us on the world stage. Franklin the Turtle deserves so much better than to be used as some kind of propaganda tool for Pete Hegseth's "Christmas wish list" 
. This whole thing is just a huge mess and I'm still trying to process how it all went down 
like, nope 
that's so not the message we want for kids. 
i mean, don't get me wrong, franklin is a great character and all, but he's about kindness and empathy, not blowing people up 
here's my diagram of how not to depict a character from a children's book 
. And don't even get me started on the whole situation with those strikes... it's just so messed up. I mean, I get that Hegseth was trying to be funny or something, but come on, use your head, dude! 
i mean we gotta keep it real about the strikes tho, those 80 ppl didn't die for no rocket launcher. lets be real about that too 
... Kids Can Press is totally right to speak out against Hegseth's unauthorized use of their beloved character, Franklin 
. The image is just plain weird and violent 
. I mean, can't public figures just be more thoughtful and considerate when it comes to kids' media? 
It's not like they're going to win any awards for "most responsible" anytime soon 
...
. The Franklin character is all about spreading love and kindness, not violence and fear 
. It's funny that some people are defending Hegseth's actions as being "according to international law"... um, no 
. This whole thing just shows how out of touch some politicians are with what's normal and decent in everyday life 
I just saw this crazy thing on the news, Pete Hegseth's picture with Franklin the Turtle holding a rocket launcher 
It's all about responsibility and being kind when it comes to our little ones. I think we need some guidelines for public figures so they don't mess up our beloved characters like this... 
and then he goes and mocks it with a cartoon turtle holding a rocket launcher? it's just cringeworthy.
. newsflash, pete: kids love franklin for being kind and gentle, not some kinda action hero 
. and now kids can press is speaking out against this nonsense 
. i think its time for him to understand that his words and actions have consequences 
. let's keep the values of kindness, empathy, and inclusivity in our children's media 
.
. And let's be real, the timing is super sketchy - with all those recent drone strikes happening in the Caribbean and Pacific... it just feels like someone's trying to send the wrong message 
.
.
and now they're just making fun of them on social media