Celebrating its 37 years, Tinkle, one of the major titles from Amar Chitra Katha (ACK) too has umped into the merchandising bandwagon recently.
In its zest to revive the 37 year-old brand, ACK Media has launched a special line of Tinkle merchandise in association with Planet Superheroes and Eco Corner.
Seeing an opportunity in this patronage, companies have for years invested in merchandise luring kids and parents alike.
When asked if the move isn’t too late for the brand, given the fact that the market is already flooded with international and Indian characters, CEO OF AMAR Chitra Katha, answered, “Tinkle characters are still popular and even today, children relate to and like them. We still enjoy a large fan base.”
However, it is not the first time that the brand founded in 1980 and run by Future Group has entered the merchandising market.
In 2014 too, it had launched figurines (bobbleheads) of the renowned comic characters but that failed to pick up.
Further responding, Agarwal shots back by saying that the brand wasn’t too focused on distribution back then and had thus discontinued the range.
However, for the new batch, the team is much more focused and aware of the right push needed to reach consumers.
With a lot of exposure today, children are more aware of characters from across the globe. Acknowledging this fact, the brand is banking on its nostalgic appeal to compete with the already established players in the market. “Of course, our TG is kids but a child would enter a bookstore/shop only with his/her mother or father. Appealing to both, we feel there is room for every player today to grow,” says Agarwal.
Launched in association with Planet Superheroes and Eco Corner, the merchandise features some of Tinkle’s iconic comic characters such as Suppandi, Shikari Shambu, Tantri the Mantri, etc on tote bags, colourful t-shirts, mobile cases, sippers and more. The merchandise is available on the publisher’s own website apart from Amazon.
In the last couple of years, Tinkle has been taking steps to revive itself among its audiences. A year ago, it had brought in augmented reality for its comics and then launched a cartoon channel on YouTube with stories from Suppandi to Shambu.
