 The cartoon "Rubes" began appearing in newspapers in 1984 and is since January 1989 syndicated by Creators Syndicate to over 400 newspapers worldwide, and was published in paperbacks from 1988 on.It was pulled from the Brigham Young University student newspaper "The Daily Universe" after several complaints by readers, but seems to have attracted little controversy otherwise.Being a popular cartoon, "Rubes" is also heavily merchandised, with calendars, greeting cards, mugs, and T-shirts.