"The publisher of the Franklin children's book series has rebuked Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth after he posted a meme of the anthropomorphic turtle firing on drug boats. Hegseth's social media post from Sunday shows the turtle, clad in tactical gear, standing on a helicopter and aiming a machine gun at one of several boats in the water below. It's designed to look like an edition of the children's book, but titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists."
"On Monday, Toronto-based publishing house Kids Can Press released a statement defending Franklin as a "beloved Canadian icon who has inspired generations of children and stands for kindness, empathy and inclusivity." "We strongly condemn any denigrating, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image, which directly contradicts these values," it added."
"When asked for comment, chief Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell told NPR over email: "We doubt Franklin the Turtle wants to be inclusive of drug cartels or laud the kindness and empathy of narco-terrorists.""
Pete Hegseth posted a meme showing Franklin the Turtle in tactical gear firing on drug boats, styled as a spoof book titled Franklin Targets Narco Terrorists with the caption "For your Christmas wish list." Kids Can Press condemned the depiction and defended Franklin as a beloved Canadian icon representing kindness, empathy, and inclusivity. The publisher said it strongly condemns any denigrating, violent or unauthorized use of Franklin's name or image. Franklin normally appears in a red neckerchief and baseball cap and has been a children's series since 1986 with many titles and an animated TV series. Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell rejected the association, and some Democrats, including Sen. Mark Kelly, called for Hegseth's firing.
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