Joy of Kids) is an Indian weekly comic magazine published by M. M. Publications, of Malayala Manorama Group from Kottayam, Kerala in Malayalam language (digest-sized, on every Friday).

Starting as a monthly for teenage youngsters in March 1972, the Balarama became a fortnightly periodical in November 1984, before finally settling as a weekly in 1999.

[5][6] Along with the comics (in-house and syndicated), the content includes fables and fairy tales, rhymes, (translated) literary classics, and various puzzles.

[11] Leading Kerala literary figures such as Vyloppilli Sreedhara Menon, P. Bhaskaran, Uroob, P. Kunhiraman Nair, and Sukumar Azhikode used to write for the magazine.

[7] Balarama, in the ensuing years, created a record in the history of the circulation of Malayalam children's magazines[3] and replaced Poompatta as the market leader.

The Malayalam version of Amar Chitra Katha, a sister publication to Balarama, is estimated to have sold around 140,000 copies in the 1980s.

[16] The success of Balarama soon inspired other Malayalam daily newspapers to follow suit and produce a number of similar magazines.

The trend of syndicated superheroes followed as Batman, the Phantom and Mandrake the Magician comics also appeared in subsequent years.

Series such as Thalamaratte, Pulivalu and Jambanum Thumbanum[10], discussing relevant social issues, were quite popular among the readers.