When Ted Turner died on 6 May 2026, aged 87, tributes focused largely on the media empire he built and his role in founding CNN. Another part of his legacy began with an environmental cartoon. Turner and his colleague Barbara Pyle developed the idea for Captain Planet and the Planeteers in the late 1980s, before the animated series launched in 1990. It followed young heroes who joined forces to confront environmental threats, introducing ecological issues to a younger audience through entertainment. In 1991, Turner and Pyle co-founded the Captain Planet Foundation, which continues to support environmental projects and help young people develop solutions in their communities. Its programmes include school gardens, environmental science challenges and youth-led conservation campaigns.
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