This is true, but all the love/care/passion in the world doesn't always keep something around. In fact, money often helps sustain a product or something related to the product.
I mean, classic characters may or may not stand the test of time. I mean, once Thurl Ravenscroft (aka Tony the Tiger, the head Singing Bust in
The Haunted Mansion during the
Grim Grinning Ghosts graveyard scene, & the vocalist behind the holiday Dr. Suess hit,
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch alongside Boris Karloff) died, Frosted Flakes' Tony the Tiger dropped practically off the face of the earth.
Yes, they still sporadically--but rarely--have his voiced dubbed in for a sneak-in "They're Grrrreat" tag line to promote the cereal, but anymore it's real people with the "Earn Your Stripes" deal.