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Suppandi, your favourite goofy character from Tinkle comics, is now going to step out of the pages and be available in the form of a bobblehead for you.
ACK Media is launching Tinkle merchandise, starting with bobbleheads for ₹999 at the Hyderabad Comic Con, which kicks off on Friday.
It has also tied up with e-commerce player Amazon for pre-orders, which, it claims, has received good response.
Apart from Suppandi, bobbleheads will be available for two other characters, which have entertained Indians over the last 30 years — nature lover Shikari Shambu and Billy The Vampire. Manas Mohan, CEO Publishing, Amar Chitra Katha Pvt Ltd, said: “The future of characters is in the 360 degree environment as they get a whole new life in a bobblehead form.”
Bobbleheads concept ACK Media, which had acquired the Tinkle brand in 2007, had been experimenting with this idea for a long time and tested waters by soft launches at the previous Comic Cons in India.
“We had to develop many prototypes for these characters. The time now is right as there is excitement at comic book conventions, which now have become a whole new market for such merchandise,” Mohan said, adding it is too early to say how much merchandise will contribute to ACK’s revenue.
While bobbleheads is a novel concept for India, it has been popular in the West, where it is most associated with athletes, especially baseball players. Companies such as McDonalds and Taco Bell have introduced these for their mascots.
Disney, too, has made a fortune with its popular merchandise. Marvel and DC Comics sell bobbleheads ranging from ₹600 to ₹2,600, while collectibles can even go up to ₹25,000. Interestingly, on Amazon, one can also find bobbleheads of leaders such as Mitt Romney, Martin Luther King and even Mahatma Gandhi priced in the rage of ₹700-10,000.
More in the pipeline Apart from figurines for other Tinkle characters, ACK Media has lots in the pipeline. “Apart from T-shirts, mugs and other merchandise, we are also working on Tinkle-branded hygiene products for kids,” Mohan said.
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