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''Mafalda'' () is an
Argentine Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
comic strip written and drawn by
cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
Quino Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pen name Quino (; 17 July 193230 September 2020), was an Argentinian cartoonist. His comic strip ''Mafalda'' (which ran from 1964 to 1973) is popular in many parts of the Americas and Euro ...
. The strip features a six-year-old girl named Mafalda, who reflects the Argentinian middle class and progressive youth, is concerned about humanity and world peace, and has an innocent but serious attitude toward problems. The comic strip ran from 1964 to 1973 and was very popular in Latin America, Europe, Quebec and Asia. Its popularity led to books and two animated cartoon series. ''Mafalda'' has been praised as masterful satire.


History

The comic strip artist
Quino Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known by his pen name Quino (; 17 July 193230 September 2020), was an Argentinian cartoonist. His comic strip ''Mafalda'' (which ran from 1964 to 1973) is popular in many parts of the Americas and Euro ...
created ''Mafalda'' in 1963. He had received a proposal by fellow artist
Miguel Brascó Miguel Brascó (14 September 1926 – 10 May 2014) was an Argentine writer, poet and translator, humorist, cartoonist, editor, critic who is a specialist in wine and gourmet Gourmet (, ) is a cultural idea associated with the culinary arts of ...
, and the comic strip would be a covert advertisement for the "Mansfield" line of products of the
Siam Di Tella SIAM (an acronym from Sección Industrial Amasadoras Mecánicas, formerly SIAM Di Tella) is an Argentine home appliance brand, currently owned by "Grupo Industrial Newsan", a leader of the segment in the region. The original "Siam Di Tella" company ...
company. The characters would use their products, and all of them would have names starting with "M". The name "Mafalda" was selected as an homage to one of the characters of the 1962 Argentine film ''
Dar la cara ''Responsibility'' ( es, Dar la cara) is a 1962 Argentine film directed by José A. Martínez Suárez and written by David Viñas. The famous Argentinian comic strip ''Mafalda ''Mafalda'' () is an Argentine comic strip written and drawn b ...
''. The comic strip was conceived as a blend of ''
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
'' and '' Blondie''. Quino and Brascó offered the comic strip to the newspaper '' Clarín'', but they noticed the advertisement nature and did not publish it. The covert advertising campaign was never carried out, but Brascó published portions of those comics at the magazine Leoplán. Julián Delgado, senior editor of the magazine ''
Primera Plana ''Primera Plana'' was a weekly glossy political, cultural and current affairs magazine published in Buenos Aires, Argentina, between 1962 and 1973. The magazine was very influential in shaping the journalism tradition in the country. History and ...
'', proposed Quino to publish the comic strip, if he removed the advertisements. It was first published in the magazine on 29 September 1964. Initially, it featured only Mafalda and her parents. Felipe was introduced in January. Quino left the magazine in 1965, and the comic strip was moved to the newspaper '' El Mundo''. Quino introduced new kids: Manolito, Susanita, and Miguelito; and Mafalda's mother became pregnant. The newspaper was closed in December 1967. Publication resumed six months later, on 2 June 1968, in the weekly '' Siete Días Ilustrados''. Since the cartoons had to be delivered two weeks before publication, Quino was not able to comment on the news to the same extent. After creating the characters of Mafalda's little brother Guille and her new friend Libertad, he definitively ceased publication of the strip on 25 June 1973. After 1973, Quino still drew ''Mafalda'' a few times, mostly to promote
human rights Human rights are Morality, moral principles or Social norm, normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for ce ...
. In 1976, he reproduced Mafalda for the
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
illustrating the
Convention on the Rights of the Child The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Con ...
.


Characters

The comic strip is composed of the main character Mafalda, her parents and a group of other children. However, the group was not created on purpose, but was instead a result of the development of the comic strip. The other children were created one at a time, and worked by countering specific aspects of Mafalda. The exception was Guille, Mafalda's brother, who was introduced during a period when the author did not have other ideas. * Mafalda: A six-year-old girl with a great concern for the state of humanity. She often leaves her parents at a loss by asking about mature or complex topics. As an example, she gets chided to concern herself with childlike things instead of asking about China's communism; in response, she pretends to play with bubbles in soapy water only to promptly proclaim that she is done and then ask about China once more. Although she uses her intelligence to manipulate her parents into letting her do what she wants at times, she is shown to be very benevolent and righteous, and does what she can for her family and friends. Mafalda is generally a pessimist to the point of being accused of being so by her friends; to this she responds that things are not so bad as to stop discussing them. A constant trait is her dislike of
soup Soup is a primarily liquid food, generally served warm or hot (but may be cool or cold), that is made by combining ingredients of meat or vegetables with stock, milk, or water. Hot soups are additionally characterized by boiling solid ing ...
. * Mamá ("Mom") (Raquel, 6 October 1964) and Papá ("Dad") (Alberto, 29 September 1964): Mafalda's parents are a very normal couple, without any particular distinguishing features. Mafalda is often very critical of her mom's housewife status; her dad often tries to avoid Mafalda's snarky remarks and questions, although he very much sympathizes with the kid's scary view of school life. He is an avid
horticulturist Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, and proven capable of rambling on about specific topics if given the chance. Raquel appears to have been a talented pianist; Mafalda's father has a job as some sort of insurance agent and occasionally smokes. Their car is a Citroën 3CV hatchback, which was a popular entry-level model for middle-class Argentines in the 1960s. * Felipe ("Phillip") (19 January 1965): The brightest and oldest member of the gang, Felipe is a good-natured dreamer who is usually lost in his fantasies and imagination and is also deeply scared of school. He often wages intense internal battles with his conscience, innate sense of responsibility, and top school grades that he hates ("That is the worst good news I've ever been given!"). A consummate procrastinator, he loves to play cowboys and read comics, especially the
Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...
. Late in the series, he also has a crush on a girl named Muriel (name given by Susanita). He is characterized by his hair and buckteeth. When Mafalda drew a picture with an uncanny likeness to him, she says she used a shoe with a carrot at an angle for a model. * Manolito (Manuel Goreiro Jr., 29 March 1965): The son of a
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
shopkeeper A shopkeeper is a retail merchant or tradesman; one who owns or operates a small store or shop. Generally, shop employees are not shopkeepers, but are often incorrectly referred to as such. At larger companies, a shopkeeper is usually referred t ...
, he is sometimes referred to as ''gallego'' ( Galician). His surname hints at such an origin, but it is common practice in Argentina to refer to all Spanish migrants as Galicians. Manolito and his father follow the Argentine stereotype of the , dull and stingy. While his family business is but a small, local grocery store, he seems ambitious with his career and is more concerned with notions of business, capitalism, and dollars, than anything else. He's always promoting the store and its products in street graffiti and even in ordinary conversations. He's shown to be simple-minded, but sometimes appears creative when it comes to business plans. He never goes on a vacation because of his father, who owns the store they work in; both appear to enjoy making money and upon Manolito suggesting closing shop and going on a vacation for a few days, his dad appeared to have fainted from shock. The quality of the products sold is often questionable, as many people have complained to him and/or his father often. Manolito is characterized by his brush-like hair, which runs in the males of the family, and in one strip it is seen as growing quickly back right after it has been shaved. * Susanita (Susana Beatriz Clotilde Chirusi, 6 June 1965): A frivolous girl with curly blond hair, who displays stereotypical feminine traits; her life revolves around femininity, gossip, dreams of marriage and maternity, and woman antagonism. Her dream is to be a mother and dedicated housewife and she often fantasizes about the possibilities, which often leads to arguments with Mafalda. She is, however, the latter's best female friend despite their bickering ("Well... you know... I'd rather freak out at you than at a complete stranger") She and Manolito seem to be at odds, but tolerate each other for Mafalda's sake, although it is shown that Susanita is more often the perpetrator of their bickering; as the attacks are often one-sided, Manolito is caught off-guard most of the times, but on occasion he gains the upper hand. At times, she seems to have a crush on Felipe. She is sometimes shown as a glutton, usually regretting sharing with her friends or tricking them out of their snack. She is also racist to a major extent, though at one point she denies this (and unknowingly makes a racist remark that contradicts her point). * Miguelito (Miguel Pitti, 1966): About two years younger than Felipe and one year younger than Mafalda and the others, characterized by his lettuce-shaped hair. He appears in the series sometime later. Somewhat of a rebel, most of the time he is a little too eager to get into philosophical debates. Although he is characterized as "innocent" by his friends (and, indeed, proving to be very naive at times), he often surprises them with comments ridden with cynicism,
pedantry A pedant is a person who is excessively concerned with formalism, accuracy and precision, or one who makes an ostentatious and arrogant show of learning. Etymology The English language word ''pedant'' comes from the French ''pédant'' (used ...
, and even sociopathy. A descendant of Italian immigrants, his grandfather is very fond of
Benito Mussolini Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
. He appears to have a harsh, houseproud mother, of whom he is frightened. * Guille (Guillermo, 1968) or Nando in some translations: Mafalda's little brother. He loves soup (much to his sister's chagrin), has a pathological dependence on his pacifier, and he and Mafalda have a pet
tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...
called Burocracia (''Bureaucracy''). He is somewhat cynical and prone to histrionics, with the prime target being his mother. He is a bit of a troublemaker and appears to share the same trait as his sister in terms of bringing up awkward topics of discussion. * Libertad (5 February 1970): "Libertad" is a given name in Spanish, which means "
Freedom Freedom is understood as either having the ability to act or change without constraint or to possess the power and resources to fulfill one's purposes unhindered. Freedom is often associated with liberty and autonomy in the sense of "giving on ...
". The girl is of small stature (a little shorter than Guille although she is around the age of the other kids), a reference to the impotence or small stature of freedom. Libertad appears somewhat later in the series, after Mafalda befriends her at the beach during a vacation, where she introduces herself to Mafalda, and, after an awkward silence, she inquires: "Have you drawn your stupid conclusion yet? Everyone draws their stupid conclusion when they meet me". She is the most politically radical character of the comic strip, more even than Mafalda herself. She took the place of being the political one while Mafalda became more well rounded in her topics of discussion. Although she claims to be fond of simple people, she often overthinks or overreacts to her friend's opinions on simple topics like vacations or pets. She often gets in trouble with her teachers due to her point of view. * Muriel: Felipe's crush. Although he could never actually speak to his neighbor, it appears that Susanita knows everything about her, as well as everything else, because of her gossipy behaviour. Although she is not part of the gang, she appears occasionally on strips always featuring Felipe's lack of concentration when she is near, or his attempts to encourage himself to make conversation with her, attempts of which Felipe has never been able to carry out due to his extreme shyness. The characters aged at about half the real time-scale while the script ran. They also went through minor changes largely due to the evolution of Quino's drawing style.


Books and translations

Most strips that were not too closely tied to then-current events were chronologically republished in ten small books simply named ''Mafalda'' and numbered from one to ten, with two strips on each page. This excludes the very first ones, published in ''Primera Plana,'' but never reprinted until 1989. The Argentine editions are as follows, published by Ediciones de la Flor (except for the first five books, which were first published by Editorial Jorge Álvarez) * ''Mafalda'' (1966) * ''Así es la cosa, Mafalda'' (''This is the way things are, Mafalda'') (1967) * ''Mafalda 3'' (1968) * ''Mafalda 4'' (1968) * ''Mafalda 5'' (1969) * ''Mafalda 6'' (1970) * ''Mafalda 7'' (1972) * ''Mafalda 8'' (1973) * ''Mafalda 9'' (1974) * ''Mafalda 10'' (1974) * ''Mafalda Inédita'' (''Unpublished Mafalda'') (1989) * ''10 Años con Mafalda'' (''Ten years with Mafalda'') (1991) * ''Toda Mafalda'' (''The Whole Mafalda'') (1992) The editions differ in other countries: in Spain, the small books are numbered from 0 to 10 and the full compilation is called ''Todo Mafalda'', all published by Editorial Lumen; in Mexico, the small books go from 1 to 12 and are currently published by Tusquets Editores. Mafalda has been translated into around twenty languages, including Chinese, Japanese, Guarani, Hebrew, and Armenian. There is also a Spanish Braille version. In the
United States of America The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...
, his only published work is ''The World of Quino'' (1986). Beginning in 2004, Quino's publisher in Argentina, Ediciones de la Flor, started publishing English-language collections of ''Mafalda'' strips under the series title ''Mafalda & Friends''.


Adaptations

Quino has opposed adapting ''Mafalda'' for cinema or theater; however, two series of animated shorts featuring Mafalda have been produced. The first, a series of 260 90-second films, was produced by Daniel Mallo for Argentine television starting in 1972. These were adapted into a full-length movie by Carlos Márquez in 1979 and released in 1981. It remains relatively unknown. In 1993
Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...
n filmmaker Juan Padrón, a close friend of Quino, directed 104 short animated ''Mafalda'' films, backed by
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
producers.


Comparisons

''Mafalda'' has occasionally been pointed out as being influenced by
Charles Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...
's ''
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...
'', most notably by
Umberto Eco Umberto Eco (5 January 1932 – 19 February 2016) was an Italian medievalist, philosopher, semiotician, novelist, cultural critic, and political and social commentator. In English, he is best known for his popular 1980 novel ''The Name of the ...
, in 1968, who contrasted the two characters. While Eco thought of ''Mafalda'' and ''Charlie Brown'' as the unheard voices of children in the northern and southern hemispheres, Quino saw ''Mafalda'' as a socio-political strip, firmly rooted on family values. This is one of the reasons adults play a starring role in the strip, while they are never seen in the ''Charlie Brown'' universe. Quino does, however, acknowledge the influence of Schulz's work on his, in that Quino extensively studied Schulz's books in preparation for an advertising campaign he was working on in 1963. The advertising campaign was scrapped but he reused some of the material for the ''Mafalda'' series a year later. The appearance of ''Mafalda'''s character resembles that of the main character in the U.S. comic strip '' Nancy'' (known as ''Periquita'' in Latin America). There is also a reference in a strip where ''Miguelito'' buys a magazine that has ''Nancy'' on the cover, and asks ''Mafalda'' whom she looks like. In the next panel is implied that ''Mafalda'' replied, ''"¡Tu abuela!"'' ("Your granny!"), a phrase similar to "Your mama!" in English, as ''Miguelito'' stares at the magazine wondering, "''My'' granny?".


Recognition

In 2009, a life-sized statue of Mafalda was installed in front of Quino's old home in the San Telmo neighborhood of Buenos Aires. A passageway in
Angoulême Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, is named after Mafalda. In 2010, it was announced that the city of
Gatineau Gatineau ( ; ) is a city in western Quebec, Canada. It is located on the northern bank of the Ottawa River, immediately across from Ottawa, Ontario. Gatineau is the largest city in the Outaouais administrative region and is part of Canada's N ...
,
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
, Canada, had sought and obtained permission to name or rename a street after Mafalda, as part of a project to establish a neighbourhood named after famous comic strips and ''
bande dessinée (singular ; literally 'drawn strips'), abbreviated BDs and also referred to as Franco-Belgian comics (), are comics that are usually originally in French and created for readership in France and Belgium. These countries have a long traditio ...
'' characters. In 2014, a life-sized statue of Mafalda was installed in Campo de San Francisco, a park located in
Oviedo Oviedo (; ast, Uviéu ) is the capital city of the Principality of Asturias in northern Spain and the administrative and commercial centre of the region. It is also the name of the municipality that contains the city. Oviedo is located ap ...
,
Principality of Asturias Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain. It is coextensive ...
' capital (northern
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...
), after the
Princess of Asturias Awards The Princess of Asturias Awards ( es, Premios Princesa de Asturias, links=no, ast, Premios Princesa d'Asturies, links=no), formerly the Prince of Asturias Awards from 1981 to 2014 ( es, Premios Príncipe de Asturias, links=no), are a series of a ...
was conferred to Quino, for the creation of Mafalda, in the category of Communications and Humanities.


See also

* Quino bibliography *
Argentine humour Argentine humour is exemplified by a number of humorous television programmes, film productions, comic strips and other types of media. Everyday humour includes jokes related to recurrent themes, such as xenophobic jokes at the expense of Galician ...


References


External links


Quino official site





Mafalda Online


* {{Authority control Argentine comic strips Argentine satire Argentine political satire 1964 comics debuts 1973 comics endings Gag-a-day comics Satirical comics Child characters in comics Female characters in comics Fictional Argentine people South American comics Comics set during the Cold War Comics adapted into animated series Comics adapted into television series Works by Quino Comics characters introduced in 1964 Comics set in the 1960s Comics set in the 1970s Comics set in Argentina