MUMBAI: Publishing house Amar Chitra Katha has announced the foray of its comic book brand TINKLE in the back-to-school and stationery product categories.

ACK is in talks with business partners, distributors and manufacturers for the franchise. The Back to School and Stationery franchise from Tinkle is slated to hit the market in mid 2013.

Tinkle has hugely popular characters Shikari Shambhu, Kalia the Crow and Suppandi and has been in circulation for 30 years.

ACK CEO Vijay Sampath said, "With Tinkle expanding its presence in television, feature films and digital products, the clamour for Tinkle products is growing every day. Through the Tinkle back-to-school program, we will provide high quality, competitively priced and child friendly products, which are true to our values and extend the imagination of children."

ACK Media business head Prakash Batna said, "The Tinkle Franchise is a rare opportunity to participate in one of India‘s most popular and fast growing consumer franchises. Leading distributors, business partners and manufacturers have evinced interest in the Tinkle franchise. We want to associate ourselves with the best partners in India and adjoining markets, to make Tinkle a market leader in this category."