Journalism of Courage
She is a character everyone knows. While for some,she might be that outspoken relative,the black sheep of the family who always has an opinion on everything from disease to divinity; for others,she might be a colleague who doesnt hesitate to put her wit into (mostly sarcastic) words. In March 2012,when UK-based Backland Studios came out with a meme on Facebook called Aunty Acid,this rather sassy character had a universal appeal. Wickedly witty and wonderfully wise,Aunty Acid is the crazy lady who lives on the edge of bite me and no freaking way. Within six months,she had acquired over 1,20,000 fans globally.
Aunty Acid is modelled on Ged Backlands neighbour from when he was growing up in Liverpool,England. We wanted to create a female character to represent someone who had a lot of life experience but was young enough to have her own teeth,hence her being an aunty instead of a grandma. The acid speaks for itself,as thats exactly what she is acidic,mouthy and filled to the brim with sassitude. A younger person would be seen as smart-ass punk instead of just smart,cold instead of cool, says Raychel Backland,Social Media Manager at Backland Studios.
The creators often involve their fans in the development of the character by asking them what they want,so the Indian version of Aunty Acid has and will be inspired by ideas that fans here want illustrated. Yet,the creators feel that there is not much cultural gap between India and the UK. Aunty Acid has captured the hearts of people all over the globe,from the Big Apple to Mumbai. Her witty words have connected people of all ages,nationalities,religions and races. Its a bit of a Sass revolution really,with people simply feeling Aunty Acid says the things they wish they could, says Raychel,who is keen on developing other versions of Aunty Acid for different countries.
Like the original character,the Indian Aunty Acid is feisty yet approachable,with imperfections and faults that everyone can relate to at some level. My grandmothers favourite saying was,If you dont laugh you’ll cry,which is something we stick to religiously at the studio, she adds.
