# Brown Paperbag
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{{Short description|Webcomic}}
{{About|the webcomic|the container|paper bag|other uses|Brown Paper Bag (disambiguation){{!}}Brown Paper Bag}}
{{Infobox comic strip
|title= Brown Paperbag
|image=
|caption=Thumbnail of ''Brown Paperbag'', showing Kabir
|author=Sailesh Gopalan
|began=2016-06-25
|ended=
|url=[https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/brown-paperbag/list?title_no=32251]
|genre=[Slice of life](/source/Slice_of_life)
|status=Ongoing
|publisher=[WEBTOON](/source/WEBTOON)}}
'''''Brown Paperbag''''' is a [slice of life](/source/slice_of_life) [webcomic](/source/webcomic) by [Mumbaikar](/source/Mumbaikar) cartoonist Sailesh Gopalan that began in June 2016.
==Overview==
''Brown Paperbag Comics'' consists of [gag-a-day](/source/gag-a-day) pages that draw from mundane situations within a stereotypical Indian family. The webcomic often focuses on two angsty teenagers, Kabir and Ananya, who frequently have to deal with their overprotective and intrusive parents. Many pages of ''Brown Paperbag'' are modeled after the hypocrisies perpetuated by Indian society, but the webcomic does not feature any particularly political themes.[{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/society/a-phenomenal-platform/article19445078.ece|work=[The Hindu](/source/The_Hindu)|title=A Phenomenal Platform|last=Hargovind|first=A phenomenal platform|date=2017-08-07}}]
==Development==
thumb|Sailesh Gopalan is the creator of the comics.
Sailesh Gopalan began ''Brown Paperbag'' on June 25, 2016. 20 years old at the time, Gopalan was studying animation at the [Srishti Institute of Art, Design & Technology](/source/Srishti_Institute_of_Art%2C_Design_%26_Technology) in [Bangalore](/source/Bangalore). Gopalan has stated that he decided to start a webcomic on a whim, as he had noticed a lack of Indian daily life satire comics that were devoid of politics. Gopalan made the first page of ''Brown Paperbag'' within an hour of conceptualizing ''Brown Paperbag'' as a whole.[{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/living/an-interview-with-sailesh-gopalan-the-force-behind-the-viral-brownpaper-bag-comics-2895664.html|work=Firstpost|title=Meet the 20-year-old artist behind the viral 'Brown Paperbag' comics: Sailesh Gopalan|last=Maneck|first=Inkita|date=2016-07-16}}] He initially released the page both on [Facebook](/source/Facebook) and [WEBTOON](/source/WEBTOON), under the pen name Saigo.[{{cite web|url=https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/funny-toons-bengaluru-students-webcomic-indian-families-striking-gold-online-45707|work=[The News Minute](/source/The_News_Minute)|title=Funny Toons: A Bengaluru student's webcomic on Indian families is striking gold online|last=Das|first=Monalisa|date=2016-06-30}}]
The name of the webcomic is based on the skincolor of Indian people, as well as the "unvarnished realities of everyday life." In an interview with ''[Scroll.in](/source/Scroll.in)'', Gopalan stated that "I was trying to portray society as it really is, without the mask that people put on. When you look at old cartoons, you see brown paper bags with two eyeholes punched in them that people put on their heads to hide." However, Gopalan insists that the webcomic is not intended to be particularly political, as he stated that "there are enough political comics in India." ''Brown Paperbag'' explores the behavior of people in Indian culture, rather than focusing on the people in power. Gopalan has said that his characters are [stereotypes](/source/stereotypes), but not based on any particular group of people. As such, ''Brown Paperbag'' typically exaggerates the conventional social roles assigned to parents, teenagers, and siblings.[{{cite web|url=https://scroll.in/magazine/850583/do-only-indians-urinate-in-public-spaces-a-webcomic-creator-discovers-the-answer|work=[Scroll.in](/source/Scroll.in)|title=Do only Indians urinate in public spaces? A webcomic creator discovers the answer|last=Kulkarni|first=Damini|date=2017-10-09}}]
''Brown Paperbag'' was inspired by [Shenanigansen](/source/Shenanigansen)'s ''Bluechair'' and Sarah Andersen's ''[Sarah's Scribbles](/source/Sarah's_Scribbles)''. The webcomic's approach to storytelling and comedy was also influenced by that of manga artist [Eiichiro Oda](/source/Eiichiro_Oda). Gopalan has stated that he intended to implement 2D animation to ''Brown Paperbag'' at some point, and produced a short celebratory animation when he reached 100,000 followers on Facebook in 2017.[{{cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/05/10/indian-comic_n_16533622.html|work=[Huffington Post](/source/Huffington_Post)|title=Design Student's Comic Perfectly Captures Indian Family Life|last=Tejada|first=Chloe|date=2017-10-05}}] Though Gopalan gets many suggestions from fans, he primarily tries to take scenarios from his own life and work on his own ideas.[{{cite web|url=http://www.deccanherald.com/content/645986/for-21-yr-old-daily.html|work=[Deccan Herald](/source/Deccan_Herald)|title=For this 21-yr-old, daily life is stuff of comic strips|last=Choukkar|first=Meghana|date=2017-12-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171210002831/http://www.deccanherald.com/content/645986/for-21-yr-old-daily.html|archive-date=2017-12-10}}]
==Impact==
Gopalan's webcomic went [viral](/source/viral_video) within a month after its launch, getting over 50,000 [likes](/source/Facebook_like_button) in its first five days