One of the most successful 1980s B studios was a survivor from the heyday of the exploitation era, Troma Pictures, founded in 1974. Troma's most characteristic productions, including "Class of Nuke 'Em High" (1986), "Redneck Zombies" (1986), and "Surf Nazis Must Die" (1987), take exploitation for an absurdist spin. Troma's best-known production is "The Toxic Avenger" (1985); its hideous hero, affectionately known as Toxie, was featured in several sequels and a TV cartoon series. One of the few successful B studio startups of the decade was Rome-based Empire Pictures, whose first production, "Ghoulies", reached theaters in 1985. The video rental market was becoming central to B film economics: Empire's financial model relied on seeing a profit not from theatrical rentals, but only later, at the video store. A number of Concorde–New Horizon releases went this route as well, appearing only briefly in theaters, if at all. The growth of the cable television industry also helped support the low-budget film industry, as many B movies quickly wound up as "filler" material for 24-hour cable channels or were made expressly for that purpose.