topics that resonated with them. In April 2020, Bianca Xunise became the first black woman to join the team of female creatore behind King Features strip Six Chix. Six Chix was first syndicated by King Features in May 2019, after King Features saw strip creator Maritsa Patrinos’ work online. In June 2020, King Features started syndicating webcomic Rae the Doe. In the same month, cartoonists from King Features, along with artists from Kirkman’s, Andrews McMeel Syndication and National Cartoonists Society, hid symbols in their Sunday strips as a tribute to essential workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. In September 2020, King Features relaunched comic strip Mark Trail, originally launched in 1946, with cartoonist Jules Rivera, author of comic strip Love, Joolz, at the helm. Animation, comic books, and licensing Many King characters were adapted to animation, both theatrical and television cartoons. Strips from King Features were often reprinted by comic book publishers. In 1967, King Features made an effort to publish comic books of its own by establishing King Comics. This short-lived comic-book line showcased King's best-known characters in seven titles: Beetle Bailey Blondie Flash Gordon Jungle Jim Mandrake the Magician The Phantom Popeye The comics imprint existed for a year-and-a-half, with titles cover-dated from August 1966 to December 1967. When it ended, the books were picked up and continued by Gold Key Comics, Harvey Comics, and Charlton Comics. In 1967, Al Brodax, then the president of King Features, pitched The Beatles manager Brian Epstein on turning their hit song "Yellow Submarine" into an animated movie. The film was widely considered to be the first animated film for adult audiences. In addition to extensive merchandising and licensing of such iconic characters as Betty Boop, Felix the Cat, and Popeye, King Features has diversified to handle popular animation and TV characters (from "Kukla, Fran and Ollie" and "Howdy Doody" to "Mr. Bill" and "Mr. Magoo"), plus publicly displayed, life-sized art sculptures — "CowParade", "Guitarmania" and "The Trail of the Painted Ponies." King Features also represents David and Goliath, an apparel and accessories line popular with teenagers. King Features additionally licenses outdoor apparel brand PURENorway, Moomins, Icelandic lifestyle brand Tulipop, ringtone character Crazy Frog and South Korean animated character PUCCA. As a sales tool, the King Features design team created colorful strip sample folders resembling movie press kits. With rising paper costs and the downsizing of newspapers, the comic-strip arena became increasingly competitive,