We are sure this fight plays out in the minds of children all over India: in one corner, Superman Iron Man and maybe Doraemon . Facing off against them a scrappy nine year old with an inexhaustible appetite for laddoos, clad only in a dhoti, surrounded by a ragtag band of sidekicks.Chhota Bheem’s triumphs are not just of the imaginary variety, though. It’s the country’s largest home grown children’s entertainment brand, starting life as a TV show and now extended to a vast array of products. Okay, maybe it’s a far cry from Hello Kitty , worth upwards of $7 billion and present on everything from school bags to maternity wards. But over its near decade long existence, Chhota Bheem has trounced every other Indian and global contender when it comes to winning over kids in the subcontinent, clocking in a stated 40 million viewers in India.When we asked Rajiv Chilaka, CEO, Green Gold about the value of the brand, he cites a study done three years ago that put it in the Rs 300 crore bracket. Industry estimates indicate it could have more than doubled. The character was born of Chilaka’s fascination with Bhima from the Mahabharatha and a childhood spent with Disney’s animated shows, Tintin, Amar Chitra Katha and superhero comics.On starting his animation studio Green Gold, he wanted to move beyond service jobs for other companies and create his own IP. Chhota Bheem and gang were conceived in 15 minutes: an adventurous young boy with the strength and attributes of the mythological Bhima living in an unspecified period in mediaeval India. What followed was a long gestation period, owing to the lack of backers and the high cost of animation. It would be five years before Chhota Bheem made his first appearance. Chilaka recalls, “VCs didn’t see logic in the model since you lose money for four or five years.”He admits the firm had many tough times and came perilously close to winding down, “both an emotional and an economic struggle.” The home grown animation space was nascent and had been that way since the 1980s when Ghayab Aaya, a show liberally inspired by Casper, the friendly ghost, debuted on Indian TV. Most channels gravitated towards purely mythological content.And so, after Vikram Betal and Krishna proved Green Gold had the chops to pull off animation and storytelling, Pogo gave the firm a chance on Chhota Bheem in 2008. The time was right for the show, says Chilaka; even three years down the line would have been too late. “As a small company, I felt it will get tougher as time goes by. It was never about building a financial empire but creating something Indian kids could grow up on.International shows often made references to things that even the adults here don’t know about.” Animation snobs were dismissive of Chhota Bheem claiming it crude and functional compared to shows like Ben 10. But slick production values mattered a lot less to its core audience. What they looked for (and have found in abundance) were relatable characters and situations. Santosh Desai, MD and CEO, Futurebrands sees in Bheem the continuation of the strong man archetype seen in Chacha Chaudhary’s sidekick Sabu and Dara Singh.He says, “As a child, Bhima was the easiest character to relate to in the Mahabharatha. They’ve taken him out of the original context and spun it in a way that becomes more relevant. There’s a need for a character that connects to lo-cal imagination.” Adds Dheeraj Sinha, chief strategy officer – South Asia, Leo Burnett, “No matter how much you translate Spiderman, there’s a gap between character and language. Chhota Bheem is vernacular in construct.” From the outset Green Gold had an eye on taking the brand beyond TV: merchandise and comics were launched in 2009, followed by toys in 2010.The first brand to come on board was a drink called Notty. Soon, it attracted the attention of Hindustan Unilever which started promotional packs for Knorr Soupy Noodles featuring Chhota Bheem in 2012. Over the last few years, the brand has become ubiquitous. “Pretty much every product is covered. Whatever you see Disney in, Bheem has replicated that,” says Chilaka, of the characters that crop up even on a range of ceiling fans from Usha. The associations have got deeper over the years. In case of Parle G it goes beyond special packaging, with Bheem and his friends embossed on to the actual product and stretched into a mobile game. Says Manish Agarwal, CEO, Nazara Games, “We want Bheem to be a virtual friend rather than just being watched on TV.We seamlessly integrated Parle G into our Jungle Run where the biscuit is part of the power ups. Over 1.5 billion virtual biscuits have been consumed. People are no longer influenced by just passive advertising.” With four games, including educational ones that teach kids math, Agarwal believes these are a hit with parents and grandparents too. Green Gold is constantly tracking its audience to see which characters and plotlines work the best. Chilaka admits, “This is our 9th year and while we were still No 1 through last year and this one, some other shows have dominated us a few weeks.The biggest challenge is keeping kids interested.” He hopes to do this in part via Super Bheem a full 3D superheroic variant on Chhota Bheem and with other characters like Mighty Raju and Arjun The Prince of Bali. As for the ultimate vision and whether there might conceivably be Chhota Bheem theme parks in the future, Chilaka says, “Disney has always been an idol and if we are able to replicate that even in the next 30 years, I’d be really happy. I’m not sure if it will be a theme park; we’d like a nature park.” The plans in the works at the moment include virtual reality and augmented reality. “At some point,there will be a larger plan,” Chilaka admits.Rajiv Chilaka, CEO, Green Gold reacts to some of the most common critiques that have come the way of Chhota Bheem1. Kids get hooked to the show when very young and kick up a fuss on being told to stop viewing it. Parents know best about what age children should start watching the show. It’s also up to them to control the TV. Often, when busy fi nishing chores or catching up with friends, they put on a kids’ channel and then suddenly expect the child to switch off in a second. Children are not going to do that. Parents should restrict time on Chhota Bheem or any other show and ought to take time out to play, which is more important. I would any day promote a kid going outdoors, but the way India and its cities are growing, I doubt there’s even 10 metres children can run without bumping into objects, unless they live in a gated community.2. The show is too violent and leaves kids with the impression that all problems can be solved with a fight. We received that feedback initially and toned down a lot of these things. But at the same time, it’s important for the new generation and children who are growing up to understand that you have to fight for your rights. You see so many bad things in the world and nobody stands up to that. The message in Chhota Bheem is you have to fight evil but it’s not all about violence.3. While Popeye’s associations with spinach convinced kids to eat something healthy that they disliked, Chhota Bheem’s laddoos inspire them to go in for fat and sugar laden diets. Traditionally laddoos have always stood for something good and are distributed on happy occasions. They need not be made of sweet and ghee. We’ve heard from smart moms who have made them from rice and dal and convinced their kids this is what Chhota Bheem eats. While I don’t think we should be eating too much sweet; kids have a sweet tooth. We shouldn’t worry too much about this and keep childhood happy.