This apparel collab brings characters like Suppandi and Shikari Shambu to life

Ask any millennial about the time they spent on Tinkle comics. Just the mention of Shikari Shambu, Kalia the crow, Suppandi, and Tantri The Mantri evokes nostalgia, transporting us to our childhoodand the tradition continues with every generation. The Mumbai-based weekly magazine, which was acquired by Amar Chitra Katha in 2007, has now teamed up with Mumbai-based online clothing brand A47.in for a merchandise collection that features three of the most famous beloved Tinkle characters.

The designs showcase Suppandi, a village simpleton created by Ram Waeerkar in 1983, who turned 41 this year; Shikari Shambu, the reluctant hero who would rather spend his time relaxing on his hammock than being a shikari (hunter), and Tantri the Mantri, the notorious minister of a kingdom called Hujli with a rotten luck and the never dying desire to be king. 

“Our journey began with the idea that we need to celebrate the cultural fillers like ISRO, the armed forces, the constitution, etc. that are relevant to us. Indians wear a lot of NASA, Disney and Marvel merchandise, so we started looking at what comics or pop-culture symbols resonate with us. That’s where Tinkle came in,” says Bhavik Vora, founder and CEO, A47.in, adding that the collaboration took two months to come together.

The limited-edition collection of oversized T-shirts, hoodies and sweatshirts in vibrant colours was launched on September 17, which is also celebrated as Uncle Pai day — the birthday of Anant Pai, fondly known as Uncle Pai, the founder and first editor of Tinkle comics and Amar Chitra Katha.

“Trans-media is how we connect with different people. Maybe there are those who have outgrown comics, but still want to feel connected to the characters they once loved. Everybody wants a piece of culture. If they don’t want to read, we have audiobooks and animations, and merchandise, and these help people stay connected with the brand,” says Preety Vyas, president and CEO, Amar Chitra Katha Pvt. Ltd, adding that the decision to team up with A47.in was taken because of the strong design sense of the brand.

“Although we have a full-fledged design team right in the company, we deliberately kept them away from this project. I said this is a different take on merchandise, so we have respected their design sensibility and not interfered in the process.” says Preety, adding that these characters were picked because they are the most popular, but the 44-year-old publication has many other beloved characters under its belt. “This is the beginning of something amazing”

Shop the collection on a47.in starting at₹599.