The idea behind starting a comic book series devoted to Indian culture and history came to Pai from a quiz contest aired on Doordarshan in February 1967, in which participants could easily answer questions pertaining to Greek mythology, but were unable to reply to the question "In the Ramayana, who was Rama's mother?" The official website of Tinkle contains puzzles and games.Īnant Pai, the founding editor of the magazine, is known to his readers as Uncle Pai. The wholesome combination of educational and entertainment that defines Tinkle has many celebrity fans in India, including the former Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Readers send more than 200 letters with stories and other features to be considered for printing in the magazine. It has been an integral part of growing up in India in the last two decades and characters like Suppandi and Shikari Shambu that were created in the early years of the magazine have nationwide recognition among all age groups. Tinkle enjoys great popularity in India - as of 2019, Tinkle had a circulation of 3 lakh copies per issue. The magazine carries comics, stories and regular columns of interest to school children. The first issue of Tinkle was released in November 1980. The magazine was published at a monthly frequency till July 2016 when Tinkle announced its first fortnightly issue. It is published in English and syndicated in many Indian languages like Hindi, Bengali, and Malayalam. The magazine contains many comics, stories, puzzles, quizzes, contests and other features targeted at school children, although its readership includes many adults as well. Originally owned by the India Book House, the Tinkle brand was acquired by ACK Media in 2007. The company now uses WhatsApp to hold contests for fans, and is focusing on digital media as a way of staying relevant without losing the iconic art and storytelling that makes it so recognisable, and it seems to be paying off with a shift from monthly to fortnightly issues, a sign of the increased popularity of the magazine.Tinkle is an Indian fortnightly magazine for children, published mainly in India.
The company launched the ACK Comics app in 2014, with which you can read its various comics online, and Tinkle partnered with Blippar to release augmented reality comics as well. The publisher has been active at Comic Con India and actively participated in comic culture in India, while also embracing technology to stay relevant in the modern era. #TinkleTurnsFortnightly :) /ntpN6iO9A8- Tinkle Magazine July 8, 2016Īs seen on the cover and Tinkle's website, the new issue also introduces a new character, Wai Knot, a kid from Bengaluru who's motto in life is, "don't ask why, ask why not?"īoth Amar Chitra Katha and Tinkle were founded by Anant Pai - who signed off as Uncle Pai - with ACK Media acquiring the magazine in 2007. Here's a message from our Editor for all our lovely readers. The second issue will arrive mid-July, a first for the magazine. This should have come out at the start of the month, but apparently it got delayed due to some postal issues, and is arriving late. One thing that's been a constant for the magazine is its monthly frequency, but the July issue of Tinkle brought a couple of surprises.įor one, Tinkle has announced its first fortnightly issue - the July 2016 issue. Along with Amar Chitra Katha, Tinkle has long been one of the most famous and iconic Indian comic magazines, and characters like Suppandi and Shikari Shambu are instantly recognisable to many Indians.
Tinkle Magazine has been a fixture in India since its launch in 1980.