The iconic Amul Girl mascot has been in the spotlight again, but this time it’s not because of her witty one-liners on current events. A viral Instagram video claimed that the Amul Girl was inspired by Shobha Tharoor Srinivasan, the sister of Congress MP Shashi Tharoor. The video, shared by marketing consultant Dr Sanjay Arora, suggested that the Amul Girl’s face was modeled after Shobha Tharoor, with Arora claiming that “the queen of puns came from the sister of the king of vocabulary.”
The video gained millions of views and even caught the attention of Shobha Tharoor herself, who responded to the claim on social media. She stated that while she was the first Amul baby and had photos taken by Shyam Benegal, she didn’t know if she had inspired the Amul Girl illustration. However, the marketers of the Amul brand, the Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF), have debunked the claim, stating that the Amul Girl was created by Sylvester daCunha and illustrator Eustace Fernandes, and was not influenced by Shobha Tharoor.
The Amul Girl was born in 1966, 10 years after Amul butter was launched in 1956. She was created with the iconic phrase “utterly butterly delicious” and has since become a beloved and recognizable brand mascot. DaCunha received inputs from Dr Verghese Kurien, who conceived Amul’s mascot, and the Amul Girl has been a part of the longest-running outdoor advertising campaign in the world. Despite the recent controversy, the Amul Girl remains an iconic symbol of Indian advertising and a beloved character in Indian popular culture.
It’s worth noting that the claim made by Dr Sanjay Arora was likely an attempt to create a interesting story, but it was not based on factual information. The GCMMF’s statement has put the controversy to rest, and the Amul Girl’s origins have been clarified. The Amul Girl’s creator, Sylvester daCunha, passed away in June 2023, but his legacy lives on through the iconic mascot he created. The Amul Girl’s enduring popularity is a testament to the power of effective branding and advertising, and she continues to be a beloved and recognizable symbol of Indian culture.