"The Internet has provided a convenient platform for Chinese cartoons," says Xu Han, who is a member of "Capital Zoo" and is known as the creator of a red fox named Ali.

Ali, a cute fox character Xu created in 2006, grew its fame on the Internet when BBS and blogging were popular in China. Its popularity has continued to grow as Xu came up with more funny and vivid expressions for Ali, who is used by instant messaging service users as an emoticon.

Xu's company also offers a large range of Ali-related merchandise, from dolls to flip-flops to game cards.

Most goods are sold via an online store, the sales of which contributed to the company's revenue of millions of yuan last year, according to Xu.

Another "Zoo" member, Zhang Shaojie, has also developed his cartoon into an online celebrity, but he spent longer figuring out how to market his character.