User blog comment:Semanticdrifter/Understanding Trademark/@comment-124.149.45.178-20130711002827/@comment-4811793-20130711133130

Cartoon character can absolutely be trademarks. They are somewhat unique in that they are both the products and the marks associated with the products. The same consideration that goes into other marks should go into characters, and because each drawing is an instance of artistic expression, they also qualify for copyright protection at the same time.