Toms

Who is Toms?

V. T. Thomas a.k.a. Toms is a cartoonist from Kerala, India. He is the creator of the cartoon characters Boban and Molly.

Toms was born at Pulincunnoo Kuttanad in 1929 as the son of V.T. Kunjuthomman and Cicily Thomas. He graduated with a B.A. degree. Toms joined Malayala Manorama as a cartoonist in 1961 and worked there till his retirement in 1987.

Toms’ impish cartoon characters Boban and Molly were a household name in Kerala for over 40 years, mainly through the pages of the Malayala Manorama weekly. Besides Boban and his sister Molly, Toms peopled the cartoon with characters like Kunchukurup, Appy-Hippy, Unnikkuttan, Panchayat President Chettan, his wife, etc., all of whom found a place in the hearts of Malayali society.

Asked by a young fan about the genesis of Boban and Molly, Toms said that he had named the cartoon characters after two children in his neighbourhood, Boban and Molly, who asked him one day to draw their picture. “This took place after these two naughty children thwarted every attempt of mine to prevent them from jumping the fence around my house and walking through the kitchen, on their way to school”, explained Toms.