New IJM now accepts submissions exclusively via the Editorial Scholar portal — a dedicated submission & review system.
Go to Editorial Scholar →
Associated Management Consultants Pvt. Ltd. | COPE Member · ID: JM07589
Scopus Q3 UGC-CARE ABDC: C |
Indian Journal of Marketing logo

Indian Journal of Marketing

ISSN: 0973-8703 Frequency: Monthly Peer Review: Double-blind Published since: 1968 Language: English
A publication of AMCPL
amcon.co.in
New Delhi, India
Indexed in: Scopus Q3 UGC-CARE Group II ABDC: C Google Scholar J-Gate NAAS NISCAIR Crossref

Original Article

Open Access Original Article

Analysis on the Character Design of Asian Indian Cartoon Character Chhota Bheem

A. C. Balaji1Nandini Lakshmikantha2

1 Head of Department - Animation, Manipal Institute of Communication, Tile Factory Road, Manipal – 576 104, Karnataka

2 Professor - Department of Corporate Communication, Manipal Institute of Communication, Tile Factory Road, Manipal – 576 104, Karnataka

Volume 50
Issue 1
Pages 9–23
Year 2020
Received: Sept. 7, 2019 Accepted: Dec. 14, 2019 Published: Jan. 31, 2020
Abstract

Chhota Bheem has become a popular Indian animated character on the global stage. He is India's most successful animation property, with television shows, films, and merchandise. He is a 9-year-old adventurous, bold, and fun-loving boy with astonishing strength. He is one of the fascinating characters among Indian children because of his representation of cultural values, ethics, and positivity. Chhota Bheem is the top-selling animation property in India, including the South Asian markets. Out of Green Gold Animation Studio's Chhota Bheem franchises, Super Bheem, Mighty Little Bheem, and Baby Bheem are the popular spin-offs. This paper sought to analyze the Asian Indian television animated superhero character "Chhota Bheem" as a character and a brand. This study analyzed the character design with reference to his appearance, body type, shape, colour, and evaluated the character's appeal as a brand. The research applied semiotic analysis, aimed at analyzing the character's appeal as a reference to the face of Indian animation character and to improvise the characterization that can have a global identity. The study also examined the media content based on four leading websites such as licenseindia.com, businessstandard. com, financialexpress.com, and brandequity.com. The findings of the study would aid in promoting similar Indian animation properties, thereby motivating animation producers and most importantly, will reduce the dependence of importing animation properties.

Keywords Indian Animated Character Cartoon Superheroes Animated Mascots Character Design Animated Characters as a Brand Chhota Bheem
How to Cite

A. C. Balaji, Nandini Lakshmikantha (2020). Analysis on the Character Design of Asian Indian Cartoon Character Chhota Bheem. Indian Journal of Marketing, 50(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2020/v50/i1/149771

References
  1. Asthana, A. K. (2012). Amul: Evolution of an international brand. Indian Journal of Marketing, 42(1), 23-28.
  2. Retrieved from <a href=http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37431 target="_blank">http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37431</a>
  3. Balakrishnan, R. (2016, May 25). Bheem me up! How homegrown hero Chhota Bheem took on Mickey, Spidey, Oggy, and won. ET Brand Equity. Retrieved from <a href=http://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/business-of-brands/bheem-me-up-how-homegrown-hero-chhota-bheem-took-on-mickey-spidey-oggy-and-won/52418658 target="_blank">http://brandequity.economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/business-of-brands/bheem-me-up-how-homegrown-hero-chhota-bheem-took-on-mickey-spidey-oggy-and-won/52418658</a>
  4. Bhagia, R. (2013, May 22). Chhota Bheem in Shemrock. Afaqs! Retrieved from www.afaqs.com/news/story/37558_Chhota-Bheem-in-Shemrock
  5. Bhattacharyya, A. (2014, March 11). Chhota Bheem helped Pogo to beat Cartoon Network and become number one. Financial Express. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/chota-bheem-helped-pogo-to-beat-cartoon-network-and-become-number-one/1232498/ target="_blank">http://www.financialexpress.com/archive/chota-bheem-helped-pogo-to-beat-cartoon-network-and-become-number-one/1232498/</a>
  6. Chauhan, K. (2017, December 07). Green Gold, Amazon Prime put Kerala martial art on the map. IndianTelevision. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/over-the-top-services/green-gold-amazon-prime-put-kerala-martial-art-on-the-map-171209 target="_blank">http://www.indiantelevision.com/iworld/over-the-top-services/green-gold-amazon-prime-put-kerala-martial-art-on-the-map-171209</a>
  7. Cobley, P. (2010). The Routledge companion to semiotics. USA : Routledge Taylor & Francis Group.
  8. Dilger, D. E. (2011). Apple's rivals battle for iOS scraps as app market sales grow to $2.2 billion. Apple Insider. Retrieved from <a href=https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/18/rim_nokia_and_googles_android_battle_for_apples_ios_s craps_as_app_market_sales_grow_to_2_2_billion target="_blank">https://appleinsider.com/articles/11/02/18/rim_nokia_and_googles_android_battle_for_apples_ios_s craps_as_app_market_sales_grow_to_2_2_billion</a>
  9. Doyle, G. (2013). Understanding media economics. London: SAGE Publications Ltd.
  10. D'sa, N. (2007). Birth of a licensing nation. Global Outlook, June Issue, 194-198.
  11. Gargi. (2017, January 11). How Chhota Bheem has scaled upon brand licensing? License India. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.licenseindia.com/archives/article/how-chhota-bheem-has-scaled-upon-brand-licensing target="_blank">https://www.licenseindia.com/archives/article/how-chhota-bheem-has-scaled-upon-brand-licensing </a>
  12. Green Gold Animation Pvt. Ltd. (n.d.). Green gold licensing. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.greengold.tv/green-gold-licensing.php target="_blank">http://www.greengold.tv/green-gold-licensing.php</a>
  13. Hampp, A. (2009, July 13). How SpongeBob became an $8 billion franchise. Ad Age. Retrieved from <a href=https://adage.com/article/media/nickelodeon-s-spongebob-8b-kid-franchise/137866 target="_blank">https://adage.com/article/media/nickelodeon-s-spongebob-8b-kid-franchise/137866</a>
  14. Jenkins, H. (2010). Transmedia storytelling and entertainment: An annotated syllabus. Continum: Journal of Media & Cultural Studies, 24(6), 943-958.
  15. Khandelwal, A. (2010). Industry attractiveness of Indian comic industry. Indian Journal of Marketing, 40(4), 10-17. Retrieved from <a href=http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37218 target="_blank">http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37218</a>
  16. Kohli-Khandekar, V. (2014, October 02). Kids' channels grow up, but not the money. Business Standard. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/kids-channels-grow-up-but-not-the-money-114100200839_1.html target="_blank">http://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/kids-channels-grow-up-but-not-the-money-114100200839_1.html</a>
  17. KPMG-FICCI. (2016). The future: Now streaming. Indian media and entertainment report 2016. Retrieved from <a href=https://aibmda.in/FICCI-KPMG-M&E-Report-2016.pdf target="_blank">https://aibmda.in/FICCI-KPMG-M&E-Report-2016.pdf</a>
  18. KPMG India-FICCI. (2017). Media for the masses : The promise unfolds. Indian media and entertainment report, 2017. Retrieved from <a href=https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/in/pdf/2017/03/FICCIFrames2017.pdf target="_blank">https://assets.kpmg/content/dam/kpmg/in/pdf/2017/03/FICCIFrames2017.pdf </a>
  19. Kumar, S. R. (2011). Junk food advertisements with free offer: Their repercussions in the minds of children in the age group of 3-10 years. Indian Journal of Marketing, 41(9), 73-78. Retrieved from <a href=http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37719 target="_blank">http://indianjournalofmarketing.com/index.php/ijom/article/view/37719</a>
  20. Lee, W. (2019, August 26). Why Netflix is looking to India and a curious baby called Bheem to expand its user numbers abroad. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from <a href= https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/ business/story/2019-08-25/netflix-invests-more-in-global-animated-series-like-indias-mighty-little-bheem target="_blank"> https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/ business/story/2019-08-25/netflix-invests-more-in-global-animated-series-like-indias-mighty-little-bheem</a>
  21. Marvel achieves record results in 2008 : Marvel Studios' film slate launch drives 2008 net income of $206 million and EPS of $2.61. (2009, February 24). Business Wire. Retrieved from <a href=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090224005502/en/Marvel-Achieves-Record%C2%A0Results-2008-Marvel-Studios-Film target="_blank">https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20090224005502/en/Marvel-Achieves-Record%C2%A0Results-2008-Marvel-Studios-Film</a>
  22. Mashwama, V., Chiliya, N., & Chikandiwa, C. T. (2017). The effect of spokes-character credibility on consumers' attitude and buying intention: A South African focus. Indian Journal of Marketing, 47(1), 11-25. <a href=https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2017/v47/i1/108806 target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2017/v47/i1/108806</a>
  23. Panda, S. (2015, August 31). Why do children easily relate with Chhota Bheem. India Study Channel. Retrieved from <a href=www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/168033-Why-do-Children-correlate-more-with-Chotta-Bheem.aspx target="_blank">www.indiastudychannel.com/resources/168033-Why-do-Children-correlate-more-with-Chotta-Bheem.aspx</a>
  24. Rao, R. (2013, August 12). Chhota Bheem hits franchising jackpot. Business Standard. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/chhota-bheem-hits-franchising-jackpot-113081201120_1.html target="_blank">http://www.business-standard.com/article/management/chhota-bheem-hits-franchising-jackpot-113081201120_1.html</a>
  25. Shah, M. K., & Malik, G. (2019). Toys as food premiums: Does it promote unhealthy eating habits? (Understanding mother's perspective). Indian Journal of Marketing, 49 (1), 36-47. <a href=https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2019/v49/i1/140604 target="_blank">https://dx.doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2019/v49/i1/140604</a>
  26. Shete, Y. (2018, August 21). Indian kids' content and YouTube, a success saga. Animation Xpress.com. Retrieved from <a href=http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/indian-kids-content-and-youtube-a-success-saga target="_blank">http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/latest-news/indian-kids-content-and-youtube-a-success-saga</a>
  27. Solarski, C. (2012). Drawing basics and video game art: Classic to cutting-edge art techniques for winning video game design. US: Watson-Guptill Publishing.
  28. Steinberg, B. (2009, September 7). Disney's new superhuman powers : Where the mouse will look to harness new licensing opportunities after Marvel acquisition. Ad Age. Retrieved from <a href=https://adage.com/article/media/media-news-disney-s-superhuman-powers/138842 target="_blank">https://adage.com/article/media/media-news-disney-s-superhuman-powers/138842</a>
  29. Vernekar, S. S., & Wadhwa, P. (2008). Kids mean business - marketers beware! A market survey on impact of advertising on kids. Indian Journal of Marketing, 38(8), 9-14.
Editorial Scholar

Submit your Research to IJM

Submit your Manuscript → Author Guidelines