Do you believe that laughing will increase the body immune system?
If we talk about the popularity of comics in Thailand, we read them since they cost only 5 Baht. Previously, Thai comics would be created from author’s imagination or folk tale, but in 1955, a publishing was established called ‘Banluesan’ and it was the beginning of Thai gag comics that is the most popular in Thailand.
In 1973, a new gag comic magazine called ‘Kai-hua-roh’ is introduced through the work of Mr. Vithita Utsahachit, 18 years, a son of Banluesan publishing founder, that lead the publishing to fulfill smiles and laughs growing along with Thai people’s reading habit.
Nowadays, there are many comic magazines’ titles and each one is very well-known for Thai people since kids to adults such as Baby, Nhoo-Jah*, Kai-hua-roh, Ma-ha-sa-nook**, Nhoo-Hin-Inter, Pang-Pond***. These gag comics stay with Thai people for a long time especially ‘Kai-hua-roh’ that just celebrated its 1000th issue, this can prove its popularity and the relationship from readers to the book.
* Nhoo-Jah is for calling a little kid.
** Ma-ha-sa-nook means very happy.
*** Pang-Pond is the name of main character in the book.
A is an example of Baby cover.
B is an example of Nhoo-Jah cover.
C is an example of Ma-ha-sa-nook cover.
B is an example of Pang-Pond cover
An this is ‘Kai-hua-roh’ 1000th issue cover.
Because there are so many titles, we’d like to present two titles of the most popular comics, Kai-hua-roh and Nhoo-Hin-Inter. Let’s see!
Kai-hua-roh
Kai-hua-roh, means selling laughter, is a weekly comic book that presents three channels – ended gag comic (can be more or less than three channels) which takes the most spaces in the book. There are gag stories inserted between three short fictions. The book is in the size of B5 and costs 15 Baht for each.
About top hits gags that are well-known as Kai-hua-roh style and familiar for the fans are castaway gag, building’s corner thief gag, master and maid gag, couch-doctor and patient gag, Prince of Devils and the dead gag, parody gag and so on.
The ways that these gags are adapted into each issue to make people laugh throughout many years are unique capabilities of the cartoonists that they can develop their ideas endlessly.
Two example gag pages are presented below.
We're so sorry that these pictures are not clear so if you want to read the texts, please click the 2 links.
Adapted 2 >> http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p126/aom_danrc/Others/1Eng.png
Nhoo-Hin-Inter
Nhoo-Hin-Inter is the name of one of the most famous Thai comics. It is created by Aoh (famous cartoonist) since 1995. Nhoo Hin Inter is highly famous in Thailand especially in Bangkok and North-Eastern. It was also made to be a comedy film called Nhoo Hin The Movie.
Nhoo-Hin-Inter is the story about a little girl named Nhoo Hin who are about 17 years old. She came from a countryside of Ubon Ratchathani city, north-eastern of Thailand, about 500km far from Bangkok. She came to Bangkok to get a job as a worker but she had some accident so she got a job as a housemaid instead.
Nhoo Hin is a kind of funny girl. She is honest, nice but clumsy that make the interesting humor story. Sometimes her clumsiness and innocence make a disorder or funny situations.
Other main characters
Milk, a girl who is the boss of Nhoo Hin , she is a youngest daughter of the family. She is extremely beautiful and hot. She is nice but stingy. She loves Nhoo Hin as her daughter.
Som-O, Milk’s elder sister. She is beautiful and hot same as her sister. She is nice but sometime testy.
Thong, a guy who is a neighbor of Milk. He is handsome and charming that causes many girl fall in love with him. But he loves only Milk. Nhoo Hin used to love Thong because she thought that thong is a gardener, so when she found the truth that he already fell in love with Milk , Nhoo Hin stopped loving him and became his friend.
Nhoo-Hin-Inter cover
A is Milk and B is Nhoo Hin
From the question < Do you believe that laughing will increase the body immune system? > We’d like just tell that if you read gag comics or live happily with your smiley day, you may live long because of optimism and happiness.
Even though there are so many kinds of amusing comics from other countries but Thai gag comics still stay in Thai people’s hearts with the funny gags and new joyful ideas that are easy to catch and can be friend of everyone in every generation.
Even though there are so many kinds of amusing comics from other countries but Thai gag comics still stay in Thai people’s hearts with the funny gags and new joyful ideas that are easy to catch and can be friend of everyone in every generation.
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Adapted 1 : Illustration&gag by Eh from Kai-hua-roh 1022nd issue page 89, 2009. Text translation by Kanchanok Sompakdee.
Adapted 2 : Illustration&gag by Aoh from Nhoo-Hin-Inter 129th issue page 10, 2009. Text translation by Kanchanok Sompakdee.
Adapted 3 : Illustration&gag by Aoh from Nhoo-Hin-Inter 129th issue page 57, 2009. Adaptation by Kanchanok Sompakdee.
References
http://www.banluegroup.com/web/html/about.php
http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%82%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A2%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%B0
http://th.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%99%E0%B8%B9%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%99_%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%A3%E0%B9%8C
http://www.oknation.net/blog/print.php?id=455855
Kanchanok Sompakdee
Sompop Detpae
Khon Kaen University, THAILAND
PS. If there's any questions, please leave your messages, we'll reply. ^^
In 2005, at the Frankfurt Book Fair, a Banlue Publications representative (licensing & distribution management) told me that the top 2 Thai comics were Kai Hua Roah and Mahasanook and that together they sold over 8 million copies a month, based on an independent audit. However, just recently, I read online that Mahasanook has a circulation of "more than 350,000 copies per week" which is just 1.4 million per month. Has the circulation of Thai comics dropped significantly in the last 5 or 6 years?
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