A 14-year-old boy trying to mimic the popular Transformers characters on TV has developed mental disorders and a dependence on gasoline after drinking the fuel over the past five years.

"He began to drink gasoline ever since he saw an episode of the Transformers cartoon series at a neighbor's house five years ago," Chen Dahai, the boy's father, told China Daily yesterday.

"I really regret allowing him to watch it he used to be a smart and good-tempered boy," said Chen, who lives in Yibin, Sichuan province.