apt to be attracted to power and control, to defending the right, to the gross and silly. Girls
still seem to be more romantic in the broadest sense and more nurturing. Animal charac-
ters often are nonage and nongender specific, making them less likely to be rejected for
those reasons.
We all like characters that satisfy our basic emotional needs and values while still
appearing fresh and “in.” Children and adults alike seek love, acceptance, belonging, and
security. We all strive for independence and control. Parents want to instill the very best of
all qualities in their children.
Popularity usually starts with the oldest and drops down in age. When characters become
too popular, then the fad subsides. Part of being a fad means being the first. By the time a
character is beloved around the world, it has started to lose its appeal.
Protecting Your Rights to Your Characters
If you hire an artist to design your characters for you, then that artist needs to sign a simple
“Work for Hire” agreement before he sets pencil to paper. It’s recommended that you obtain
the services of an entertainment attorney to draw this agreement up for you. If you don’t
have an agreement signed beforepencil is set to paper, then you don’t own the character—
the artist does.
You must protect the characters you’ve created, but if your project includes a bibleor
a script, then it’s best to file for protection and copyright when the project is completed. You
may wish to file for trademark protection then as well. In the meantime, place the follow-
ing information on each piece of completed artwork, title page of script, and bible: © (copy-
right symbol) 2005 (year of completion) Jean Ann Wright (your name). Your work is not
protected without that information.
Developing Characters 73