Tinkle Comics, which has been our partner during the ups and downs in our childhood journeys and has managed to captivate not only Indian readers but also catered to global readers, is turning 35 years this November. Having taken its first steps back in 1980 under the helm of Uncle Pai, the first issue was launched on 14 November that featured Kalia the crow. Now 35 years later, Tinkle has a plethora of toons in its kitty and has expanded with its Tinkle Magazine, merchandises, e-magazines and animated web series on YouTube but has kept Uncle Pai’s legacy alive by delivering comics that abides by the motto, ‘Where Learning Meets Fun.’ On this special occasion Tinkle has come up with special ideas to entice its readers and continue expanding its fan base.
AnimationXpress.com got in touch with Tinkle’s editor Rajani Thindiath to know what’s in store for readers on this special occasion and got to learn about the great additions Tinkle is making to its ever growing family.
To celebrate its 35th Anniversary, Tinkle has come out with a 132 pages special issue for the Tinkle Digest which includes 32 extra pages whereas Tinkle Magazine carries a 104-page edition, with a gorgeous cover that showcases 35 Years of Taking a Break (with Tinkle).
To mark the occasion, the comic has introduced a new character in the magazine – WingStar aka Mapui – the reluctant superhero. Mapui’s father is an inventor who devises the coolest gadgets ever that gives his daughter super flight and super strength, to start with. Mapui uses them to help those in trouble, assuming a secret superhero identity. The catch is Mapui does not want to be a superhero! She’d rather play cricket with her friends.
Last year we witnessed the birth of yet another female superhero, Aisha who’s seen in the Super Weirdos comic strip. With female characters like Maya headlining the futuristic PsyMage series, Aisha from Super Weirdoes and now Mapui from Wingstar, Tinkle is all set to bring in more female comic characters along with its already established male counterparts Suppandi, Shikari Shambu and Tantri the Mantri.
Talking more about what makes the 35th issue special, Rajani mentions, “This Anniversary is a crowdsourced issue. We had our readers send in ideas for adventures to send our Toons on. The Toons were Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri, The Defective Detectives and The Ina Mina Mynah Mo sisters. The best ideas were shortlisted and set to vote in the IdeaWhiz Vote-A-Thon. The Anniversary issue features the winning entries in each Toon category.
A special mash-up story sees two of our popular Toons, Billy, the fangless vampire from Dental Diaries and Aisha from SuperWeirdos take on a werewolf who has a secret up his sleeve.”
To add more to the excitement, Tinkle has brought together all of its beloved Toons in the special 35th Anniversary issue which allows you to determine how tall or short are your favorite characters from you.
Sharing her thoughts behind choosing 35 Years of Taking a Break theme, Rajani explains, “Tinkle has been the ultimate stress buster for our readers down the years. They eagerly wait for their Tinkle copies every month, only so that they can forget all worries and cares as they enter the worlds of their favourite Toons and that’s how 35 Years of Taking a Break (with Tinkle) came up.”
On the Tinkle Digest front, the 132 page issue brings along with it 35 extra pages of Classic Tinkle Toons that makes you go nostalgic with their very first Tantri story along with Shikari Shambu, Suppandi, Kalia the Crow, Nasruddin Hodja and many more toons classic tales.
While on the marketing front, Amar Chitra Katha’s CEO, Manas Mohan said, “We have promoted Tinkle in Crosswords and many of the shops which keep our comics. As for the pricing point, we haven’t introduced any special offers or schemes for the anniversary issue but the buyers will see that the issue is priced the same even though it carries extra pages.”
“We have tied up with many brands like Camlin, Kellog’s, Glucon D, Boost, among others. Readers can participate in our monthly contests to stand a chance to win Firefox’s bicycle, Karbonn phone, Lencho watches and dart games on this 35 years celebration. In collaboration with Camlin, we are now hunting down for a writer who will get Rs 1 lakh scholarship and their story will get printed in Tinkle,” he added.
Tinkle continues being interactive with its readers as they can Blip the Tinkle’s cover and play a game on that app. Along with that, Tinkle is offering Glucon D’s Volt and Camlin’s Brush Pen free with every Tinkle Magazine whereas Tinkle Digest offers Glucon D Volt along along with Camlin’s pen pencil set.
Readers can also log on to Tinkle’s website and go on its 35th Anniversary page to read some classic stories, play quizzes and games. The site also shows the evolution of Tinkle’s Toons which is quite an interesting insight.
We wish Tinkle Happy 35th Anniversary and hope they continue delivering us with some insanely humorous, witty yet knowledgeable stories.