''
El Chavo del Ocho
''El Chavo'' (English: ''The Kid''); — also known as ''El Chavo del Ocho'' (English: ''The Kid from number Eight'') during its earliest episodes —, is a Mexican television sitcom created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños, produced by Televisa. It ...
'', often shortened to ''El Chavo'', is a Mexican television
sitcom
A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...
created by
Roberto Gómez Bolaños
Roberto Gómez Bolaños (21 February 1929 – 28 November 2014), more commonly known by his stage name Chespirito, or "Little William Shakespeare, Shakespeare", was a Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, humorist, director, producer, and au ...
. The show was based on a series of sketches performed on Gómez's eponymous sketch show, ''
Chespirito
Roberto Gómez Bolaños (21 February 1929 – 28 November 2014), more commonly known by his stage name Chespirito, or "Little Shakespeare", was a Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, humorist, director, producer, and author. He is widely re ...
'', which were first performed in 1971. ''El Chavo'' became its own series in 1973 and aired until 1980, becoming one of the most popular television programs in the world. Following its cancellation and the relaunch of ''Chespirito'', the ''El Chavo'' sketches returned in 1980 and continued to be performed on ''Chespirito'' until 1992 when Gómez, by this point in his sixties, discontinued them due to his advancing age.
The show follows the life and tribulations of the title character, a poor orphan child (played by Gómez Bolaños) that lives on a Mexican housing complex, typically called a ''vecindad''. He is accompanied by a cast of neighbors, children, and other characters. All the characters, including the children, were played by adults on ''El Chavo''.
Summary
Main characters
El Chavo
*Portrayed by
Roberto Gómez Bolaños
Roberto Gómez Bolaños (21 February 1929 – 28 November 2014), more commonly known by his stage name Chespirito, or "Little William Shakespeare, Shakespeare", was a Mexican actor, comedian, screenwriter, humorist, director, producer, and au ...
*Years: 1972–1992
El Chavo del Ocho is an eight-year-old orphan and the main character of the series. "Chavo" is a Mexican Spanish slang for "kid"; Chavo's real name is not known, but is supposed to be ''Chente'', short for ''Vicente'', after a supposed friend that nobody has ever met and according to Chavo, looks a lot like himself. Generally Chavo is enthusiastic, creative and good-natured, but on the other hand he is also rather naïve and very gullible. He is not particularly bright (which Roberto Gómez Bolaños insinuated on the launch of the animated series may be a consequence of poor nutrition) and is remarkably clumsy, often hitting Quico, Don Ramón and Señor Barriga with balls, brooms, shoes, hammers, bricks, chairs and other objects. Chavo's typical attire consists of a green plaid baseball cap with ear flaps, a striped t-shirt, khaki shorts held up by a pair of orange suspenders he wears with both straps over one shoulder, and brown shoes without socks.
Chavo arrived at the neighborhood at the age of four and apparently lived in apartment #8 with an elderly woman (who is never seen, but is mentioned in the novel ''El diario de El Chavo del 8''). After her death, Chavo spends most of his time inside an abandoned barrel that he calls his "secret hideout". He has a craving for
ham
Ham is pork from a leg cut that has been preserved by wet or dry curing, with or without smoking."Bacon: Bacon and Ham Curing" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 39. As a processed meat, the term "ham ...
tortas
Torta is a culinary term that can, depending on the cuisine, refer to cakes, pies, flatbreads, sandwiches, or omelettes.
Usually, it refers to:
* cake or pie in South America, much of Europe, and southern Philippines
* flatbread in Spain
* ...
, a popular kind of sandwich in Mexico. He has a crush on Paty, along with Quico (which is their first fight over their crush, although she kisses Chavo in the animated series). Despite being a hungry 8-year-old child, he seems to have an incredible physical strength, since his punches are able to stun or even topple a full-grown man, mostly Don Ramón.
In the English dub version of the series, he is voiced by
Mona Marshall
Mona Marshall is an American voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include '' South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show; '' Fraggle Rock: Th ...
in animated and
Scott Meville
Scott may refer to:
Places Canada
* Scott, Quebec, municipality in the Nouvelle-Beauce regional municipality in Quebec
* Scott, Saskatchewan, a town in the Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380
* Rural Municipality of Scott No. 98, Saskat ...
in the original. Unlike in the original series and the Spanish version of the animated series, instead of being called "Chente" or "Chavito", he is called ''"Chavorino"'' by his friends sometimes. Also, the "El" part of his name was officially removed from his character's bios in the animated series, possibly to keep in with the show's English production on Americanizing the series. Instead of ham tortas, he has a craving for
ham sandwich
The ham sandwich is a common type of sandwich. The bread may be fresh or toasted, and it can be made with a variety of toppings including cheese and vegetables like lettuce, tomato, onion or pickle slices. Various kinds of mustard and mayonna ...
es, although the Christmas specials state that he also has cravings for
jelly sandwiches for mysterious reasons, but those jelly sandwiches are actually ham tortas (ham sandwiches) in the original Spanish version, called jelly sandwiches in the English version. Also, his friend "Vicente" (or Chente) is renamed as Chova (switching the A and the O around).
In Brazil, his name was changed to Chaves, which means "Keys" in Portuguese, because the word ''chavo'' does not make sense in this language. Actually,
Chaves is a
Portuguese language
Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau ...
surname, with a
Spanish language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
version, spelled
Chávez.
La Chilindrina
*Portrayed by
María Antonieta de las Nieves
María Antonieta Gómez Rodríguez (born 22 December 1949), more commonly known by her stage name María Antonieta de las Nieves, is a Mexican actress, comedian, singer, and author. Her best remembered role is that of La Chilindrina, one of the ...
*Years: 1972–1973, 1975–1980, 1980–1992
La Chilindrina is the daughter of Don Ramón. "Precocious" is the best way to describe Don Ramón's intelligent and mischievous daughter, who likes to take advantage of her slow-witted friends to play pranks on them and take their toys or snacks. She usually wears a short green-patterned dress, white shorts, and a red sweater that is always twisted on the back. She has freckles, horn-rimmed eyeglasses, a missing front tooth, and two pigtails that are always uneven, one significantly higher than the other one, just like her socks. "Chilindrina" is the name of a typical Mexican bun, with brown sugar sparkles on top, reminiscent of the character's freckles. In early episodes, La Chilindrina used to have longer ponytails which were cut by El Chavo. In most episodes, she is seen to have a crush on Chavo, and is very jealous of his crush on Paty.
La Chilindrina was cut from the El Chavo animated series due to disputes with Roberto Gomez Bolaños (creator of all El Chavo characters) and Maria Antonieta de las Nieves (Chilindrina's portrayer) about who owned the rights to the character and if the character was allowed to be used publicly outside of El Chavo. María Antonieta de las Nieves was able to win a legal battle over Chespirito in 2003, which gave her permission to act as La Chilindrina in public, and granted her rights over the character so that character is separated from the cast but still be on it by the fans. She was replaced by Ñoño (Junior) in the animated series version, who came to have her same mischievous personality.
In Brazil, her name was changed to Chiquinha, a diminutive for ''Chica'', which in turn is a nickname for ''Francisca''.
Quico
*Portrayed by
Carlos Villagrán
Carlos Villagrán Eslava (born 12 January 1944) is a Mexican actor, comedian, and former journalist best known for playing Quico in the Televisa sitcom '' El Chavo del Ocho''.
Life and career
He was a newspaper writer for Mexico City. As a ...
*Years: 1972–1978+
Federico Matalascallando Corcuera, known as Quico, is a spoiled, greedy, overprotected 9-year-old boy, son of Doña Florinda and a late naval captain (also named Federico), who reportedly died when his vessel was attacked and, according to Quico, was eaten by a
white shark
The great white shark (''Carcharodon carcharias''), also known as the white shark, white pointer, or simply great white, is a species of large mackerel shark which can be found in the coastal surface waters of all the major oceans. It is nota ...
. Arrogant, manipulative, and envious, Quico always wants to draw everyone's attention to himself, either by screaming loudly or by showing off his newest toy. Because of this, he usually gets El Chavo in trouble when he does something wrong, especially to Don Ramón, after which Don Ramón hits El Chavo angrily on the head. Partially due to his mother's influence (and former wealth and status as the wife of a naval officer), he believes that he and his mother are superior to everyone else in the neighborhood. He still finds time to play with—as he and his mother call them – ''chusma'' ("
riffraff
Riff Raff, Riffraff, or Riff-Raff, a term for the common people but with negative connotations, may refer to:
In music
* Riff Raff (rapper), from Texas
* Riff Raff (band), a UK progressive rock band
* Riff Raff, a band formed by Billy Bragg
* ' ...
"), namely Chavo, Chilindrina, and Don Ramón. However, Quico has proved many times to be Chavo's best friend, often assisting him in Chavo's mischievous acts, as seen due to the fact that they are mostly seen playing together in the front yard, and that he was genuinely hurt when El Chavo left La Vecindad in the episodes "El Ratero de la Vecindad" and "El Billete de Loteria". Moreover, Quico is a good kid deep inside, even though there are several occasions in which he acts self-centered. Quico wears a rainbow-colored beanie cap, a dark blue naval officer's shirt with a red ascot, bright yellow socks he pulls all the way up to his knees, and white low-top shoes. He is also widely identified by his enormous cheeks, which he can puff out quite largely, and his minuscule intelligence, often responding to the Spanish words for idiot, stupid, dummy, etc. (he even displays delight about being called such things, oblivious to the fact that all these words are insults). Despite his stupidity, Quico displays more deceptive abilities and common sense than Chavo, and is the most likely to break the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cent ...
(especially regarding that four of his quotes do this so). Often in the series Quico mentions that he has or that his mom will buy him a "square ball" and in "Termina el Romance" he and El Chavo refused to help Professor Jirafales reconcile with his mother due to Professor Jirafales having promised to them a square ball. In 1979, when Carlos Villagran quit the show, Quico is said (in the episode named "Vámonos al Cinema?") to have gone off to live with his rich godmother, reportedly "unable to stand the riffraff anymore." No one in the show ever talked about him afterwards, or said anything about his absence, as if he had never existed. Villagran's character, Quico, starred in a rather short-lived
spin-off
Spin-off may refer to:
*Spin-off (media), a media work derived from an existing work
*Corporate spin-off, a type of corporate action that forms a new company or entity
* Government spin-off, civilian goods which are the result of military or gove ...
series, ''
¡Ah qué Kiko!'' in the late 1980s, which attempted to revive the series using a "hip-hop" twist and gave Villagran's character a slight wardrobe make-over.
In the English dub version of the original and animated series, the main role is sometimes as the antagonist, he is voiced by
Doug Erholtz
Doug Erholtz is an American voice actor. He is best known for his performances as Inspector Zenigata from ''Lupin the Third'', Kisuke Urahara, Gin Ichimaru, and Rudbornn Chelute briefly from '' Bleach'', TK Takaishi from ''Digimon Adventure 02 ...
in animated and
Adam DeVine
Adam Patrick Devine (born November 7, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, singer, screenwriter, and producer. He is one of the stars and co-creators of the Comedy Central comedy television series ''Workaholics'' and '' Adam Devine's House Par ...
in the original. Instead of being called "Tesoro" (treasure/darling), he is called "Muffin".
Don Ramón
*Portrayed by
Ramón Valdés
Ramón Antonio Esteban Gómez Valdés y Castillo (2 September 1923 – 9 August 1988) was a Mexican actor and comedian. He is best remembered for his portrayal of Don Ramón. He is also recognized as one of Mexico's best comedians.
Born in Mex ...
*Years: 1972–1979, 1981.
Don Ramón is an unemployed widower with a very lanky, nearly
emaciated
Emaciation is defined as the state of extreme thinness from absence of body fat and muscle wasting usually resulting from malnutrition.
Characteristics
In humans, the physical appearance of emaciation includes thinned limbs, pronounced and protrud ...
build. Sometime before the series started he was married to his wife and lived in the neighborhood together. As a result of the marriage they had their daughter, Chilindrina. But unfortunately, his wife died giving birth so Don Ramon was forced to raise his daughter alone the best he could. He has black wiry hair and a moustache and is usually seen wearing a sun hat, a T-shirt, and jeans. His greatest aspiration seems to be living an uncomplicated life, but in the ''vecindad'', this seems impossible. He is constantly hounded for the rent which he has neglected to pay for fourteen months (a figure that seems to be static since Señor Barriga forgives several months of his rent in several episodes) – however, in one episode, he did pay at least one month of rent while on the verge of eviction from Señor Barriga. His daughter (Chilindrina) is a perennial headache and his neighbor Doña Florinda's response to any imposition on her lifestyle is a loud slap on his face, which causes him to spin in a circle. He eventually became something of a scapegoat for Florinda's wrath, with her ending up slapping him when he wasn't even present when something went wrong. Although rather high-strung and quick-tempered, Don Ramón manages to keep a fairly upbeat attitude and to (just barely) make a living doing odd jobs. He's also a fan of all sports and pretends to be knowledgeable in them (having demonstrated
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
,
bowling
Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thoug ...
,
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
,
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...
and even
bullfighting
Bullfighting is a physical contest that involves a bullfighter attempting to subdue, immobilize, or kill a bull, usually according to a set of rules, guidelines, or cultural expectations.
There are several variations, including some forms w ...
– with a dummy bull – to the kids), but due to the kids' own shortcomings, he always comes up short. Chavo often mispronounces his name as ''Ron Damón'', that is a common way of spelling by children. One quote popularized by himself is "There is no bad work, the downside is having to work". He is a fan of
Club Necaxa
Impulsora del Deportivo Necaxa S.A. de C.V. (); often simply known as Necaxa, is a Mexican professional football club in Liga MX based in the city of Aguascalientes. It plays in the Estadio Victoria.
History
Foundation (Light and Power Comp ...
, which in the day was generally known as a perennial mid-table also-ran, per Don Ramón's quote "Yo le voy al Necaxa", meaning that he neither wished for glory nor suffering. His personality of always being a good-hearted and (not always) noble man, made Don Ramón one of the most cherished characters in the history of the show.
In
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
he is known as Seu Madruga (literally "Mr. Dawn") and is considered to be the most popular character, with some of his quotes used under many circumstances, not only the funny ones. An example is during the 2000s that was considered the peak of success of the character in the country, Don Ramón was often used heavily as an
internet meme
An Internet meme, commonly known simply as a meme ( ), is an idea, behavior, style, or image that is spread via the Internet, often through social media platforms. What is considered a meme may vary across different communities on the Internet ...
, to the point of having several
Orkut
Orkut was a social networking service owned and operated by Google. The service was designed to help users meet new and old friends and maintain existing relationships. The website was named after its creator, Google employee Orkut Büyükkök ...
communities related to him and even fangames with him being the protagonist. In 2010 a book entitled "Seu Madruga: Vila e Obra" was published exclusively in Brazil in honor of the character and his actor showing curiosities, interviews and unpublished photos about Ramón Valdés.
In the English dub version, he was known as Mr. Raymond or nicknamed Rister Maymond by El Chavo and was, like Quico, voiced by
Doug Erholtz
Doug Erholtz is an American voice actor. He is best known for his performances as Inspector Zenigata from ''Lupin the Third'', Kisuke Urahara, Gin Ichimaru, and Rudbornn Chelute briefly from '' Bleach'', TK Takaishi from ''Digimon Adventure 02 ...
in the animated. In the English dub of the original, he is voiced by
John DiMaggio
John William DiMaggio (; born September 4, 1968) is an American actor. His various voice roles include Bender on '' Futurama'', Jake the Dog on ''Adventure Time'', Marcus Fenix in the '' Gears of War'' series, Dr. Drakken on '' Kim Possible' ...
.
Doña Florinda
*Portrayed by
Florinda Meza
Florinda Meza García (born 8 February 1949) is a Mexican actress, comedian, television producer, and screenwriter. She is best known as Doña Florinda in ''El Chavo del Ocho'', La Chimoltrufia in ''Chespirito'', and other various roles in ''El ...
*Years: 1972–1990; 1992
Florinda Corcuera y Villalpando,Viuda de Matalas Cayando, commonly referred to as Doña Florinda, is the mother of Quico and love interest of Professor Jirafales. Before the series started she was married to a naval officer and was rich. As a result of their marriage, she gave birth to Quico. She became a widow when Quico was still young. Her late husband, after whom Quico was named, was a naval officer who died at sea. It is often said by Quico that he ''descansa en pez'' (a pun on "rest in peace", literally meaning "rests in fish", indicating that he was swallowed by a shark). Her full name is Florinda Corcuera y Villalpando, viuda de (widow of) La Regueira. Doña Florinda sees herself as being socially, morally and economically superior to her neighbors (and, according to the book ''El Diario del Chavo del Ocho'', she was indeed rich until the death of her husband, leaving her without a way to obtain money and eventually waste it, forcing her to move to the ''vecindad''), and while not misanthropic, snobbish, or bully-like, she tends to give orders to the others, such as putting signs that ban animals and infants from the ''vecindad'' (much to Barriga's chagrin, because she does it without his authorization). She is so fiercely protective of Quico that whenever he is upset, she'll beat up Don Ramón without seeking explanation. In fact, a recurring gag in the series is that she unfairly accuses him of "attacking" Quico and goes to
slap
Slap or slapping may refer to:
* Slapping (strike), a method of striking with the palm of the hand
* Slapping (music), a musical technique used with stringed instruments
* Slap tonguing, a musical technique used on wind instruments
* ''Slap'' ...
him, even when he is not present in the scene. When Villagran left the show – thus concluding Quico's presence in the vecindad – she still slaps Don Ramón, but less often. This is due to Don Ramón laughing loudly whenever a rude comment is directed towards her (mostly coming from El Chavo). She likes cleanliness and order and also likes to cook and for that reason becomes famous among her neighbours. Once she accepted a partnership selling
churros
A churro (, ) is a type of fried dough from Spanish and Portuguese cuisine. They are also found in Latin American cuisine and in other areas that have received immigration from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries, especially in the Sout ...
(a fried pastry originating from
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")
, ...
) with Don Ramón. She is easily recognized by the fact that she always keeps her hair in curlers (except in some early episodes), even at work or on vacation in Acapulco. In later episodes, she opens a restaurant called "Restaurante Doña Florinda". Derisively, the kids call her "Vieja Chancluda" ("vieja" being "old lady", and "chancluda" as someone who uses "chanclas", sandals).
In the English dubbed version, she is known as Mrs. Worthmore (a pun on worth more) and voiced by
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz pianist.
Career Music career
Higgins earned a degree in music from Auburn University in 1991. She is a trained pianist who studied with the jazz artist Bob Richardson. She rel ...
in the animated and
Hynden Walch
Hynden Walch is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Starfire in the ''Teen Titans'' franchise and Princess Bubblegum in ''Adventure Time''. She also voiced Penny Sanchez in ''ChalkZone'', Amore and Lockette in the Nickelodeon ver ...
in the original. Her restaurant was renamed "Mrs. Worthmore's Cafe" as well. In Brazil, her name was translated to Dona Florinda.
Profesor Jirafales
*Portrayed by
Rubén Aguirre
Rubén Aguirre Fuentes (; 15 June 1934 – 17 June 2016) was a Mexican actor and comedian. He was best known for his character in Televisa's 1970s television show '' El Chavo del Ocho''. Aguirre also participated in another well known televisi ...
*Years: 1973–1992
Professor Inocencio Jirafales is the school teacher. He is highly educated but naïve, although he carries on a ludicrously innocent relationship with Doña Florinda and patiently teaches way above the heads of his students. He is patient and professionally ethical. When angered, he shouts "Ta-ta-ta-taaaaa-TAH!!!". His last name is a reference to the very tall Aguirre, who stands at a height of 1.98 m or 6 ft 6 in ("jirafa" is Spanish for giraffe; the closest English equivalent would be Giraffald). The children (and sometimes adults, most notably Don Ramón) refer to him as "Maistro Longaniza" (being "maistro" a mispronounced form of "maestro", an alternative for "professor", both meaning "teacher", and "longaniza", a long kind of
sausage
A sausage is a type of meat product usually made from ground meat—often pork, beef, or poultry—along with salt, spices and other flavourings. Other ingredients, such as grains or breadcrumbs may be included as fillers or extenders. ...
). Although he appears throughout all the series (almost 20 years) having a romance with Dona Florinda, by the time it finished, neither one suggested the possibility of going beyond that idyllic relation – there's an
in-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It ...
among the series production that statizes his full name to be "Inocencio Jirafales", being "Inocencio" both a real-life name in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries and a play on "innocence", thus adding to the "innocent" way he treats his relationship towards Doña Florinda. Even though he claims to have a strong
hatred of violence, Jirafales is more than willing to beat up Don Ramón if he does something stupid or that leaves him outraged (in the episode in which Don Ramón teaches El Chavo some basic
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...
classes and even lends his boxing gloves to the kid, Jirafales has beaten him so violently that even Doña Florinda displays disgust over it).
In the English dub version, he is known as Professor Girafalde (a pun on the word
giraffe
The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa cameloparda ...
) or nicknamed Professor Sausage (Maistro Longaniza) or Professor Firehose (in the Fireman episode) and even Professor Drainpipe by El Chavo (sometimes called "Professor Girafalges" by non-marketing teams) and is voiced by
Bob Buchholz
Robert Buchholz is an American voice actor, writer, story editor, and voice director. He has provided voices for anime and video games. He is the owner of Spliced Bread Productions.
Filmography Anime
* '' Akira'' - Ryu (Animaze dub)
* ''A Whisk ...
in the animated and
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in '' Gargoyles'' and Kowalski in the ''Penguins of Madagascar' ...
in the live action. In Brazil his name is written Professor Girafales ("girafa" is Portuguese for giraffe) and nicknamed by the children as Professor Linguiça or Mestre Linguiça (being "mestre" an alternative for "professor" and "linguiça" meaning "sausage").
Doña Clotilde
*Portrayed by
Angelines Fernández
María de los Ángeles Fernández Abad (30 July 1924 – 25 March 1994), known professionally as Angelines Fernández, was a Spanish-Mexican actress and comedian. She is best remembered for playing Doña Clotilde "La Bruja del 71" in the sitcom ...
*Years: 1972–1990; 1992
Doña Clotilde, sometimes referred to as "La bruja del 71", is a retired woman who chases after Don Ramón. Because she is old and somewhat eccentric, the kids think she is a witch, and refer to her as "The Witch from (Apartment) 71". Some of the adults also refer to her as that, often by mistake, due to the kids frequently calling her a "witch". She refers to herself as ''señorita'' (Miss) because she has never been married, which also she gets upset by when called ''señora'' (Mrs.), meaning that she is a married woman. In one episode of the series, Chavo stated that "She's not a witch because if she were, she would use her magic to turn (herself) into a young, beautiful woman." She is a single woman, thirsty for love, and frequently seeks it with Don Ramón, who is a widower. Because she never wants people to know her real age, she is always saying the number of candles (40 candles) she had to use in her "last" birthday's cake (she never says to have more than 49) – even then, people never believe her, mostly because she also acts like a senior woman. She has always been in love with Don Ramón, her neighbor. But he is not interested in her, so Doña Clotilde tries and does everything she can to conquer him like bringing him food from the store, buying him medicine when he can't sleep, baking cakes for him, or lending him luggage. In fact, all the times that Don Ramón is "interested" in her is when she faints in the middle of the yard and was going to bring him something from the store or just when being polite with her is his only choice. When Ramon Valdes left the show, her affections turned towards Jaimito, el cartero. She is always dressed with a blue or pink hat (1950s style) with "leaves", blue gown, and black shoes. In the beginning of the series she had also a black sweater. Regarding to her income, the source is unknown. Some might suggest she receives a pension, or maybe gets her money out of an inheritance. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to pay the rent to Señor Barriga, pay her expenses and buy all the things she gives to Don Ramón.
In the English dub version, she was renamed Miss Pinster (a pun on the word
spinster
''Spinster'' is a term referring to an unmarried woman who is older than what is perceived as the prime age range during which women usually marry. It can also indicate that a woman is considered unlikely to ever marry. The term originally den ...
) or nicknamed The Witch of 71 by the children and is voiced in the animated series by
Mona Marshall
Mona Marshall is an American voice actress, known for her work in a number of cartoons, anime shows, films and video games. Her major credits include '' South Park'', where she voices many of the female characters on the show; '' Fraggle Rock: Th ...
, like El Chavo. In The original she is voiced by
Leslie Carrara-Rudolph
Leslie Carrara, sometimes credited as Leslie Carrara-Rudolph or the misspelling Leslie Carrera-Rudolph, is an American actress, performer, puppeteer, speaker, singer and artist.
She is probably best known as a Muppet performer on ''Sesame Str ...
. In Brazil her name is Dona Clotilde or Bruxa do 71. Some sources in
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, Ca ...
misspell her name as ''Cleotilde''.
Señor Barriga
* Portrayed by
Edgar Vivar
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...
* Years: 1972–1973, 1973–1979, 1980–1990; 1992
Zenón Barriga y Pesado is the landlord of the ''vecindad''. Bolaños states that Señor Barriga prefers going personally to receive the residents' rents in order to save up his own time or a rent collector's salary. He rarely succeeds in collecting rent from Don Ramón and is greeted upon his every arrival by being (accidentally) kicked, tripped, beaten, or hit by a flying object thrown by El Chavo. His last name is a reference to his
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...
("barriga" is both Spanish and Portuguese for "belly", but the surname actually exists). In two episodes throughout the series (the first when Don Ramón buys a
bowling ball
A bowling ball is a hard spherical ball used to knock down bowling pins in the sport of bowling.
Balls used in ten-pin bowling and American nine-pin bowling traditionally have holes for two fingers and the thumb. Balls used in five-pin bowli ...
while working as a buyer/salesman of home antiques; the second when Doña Florinda first sets up a restaurant) his full name is revealed to be "Zenón Barriga y Pesado" (literally "Zeno Belly and Heavy", but Pesado is a real surname too), and "Zenón" being a pun on "Cenón" ("dining man" or "big dinner"); Zenón is also the Spanish form of Zeno. He is also well known because of his patience with Don Ramón and his unpunctual rent payments and all the kids' (mostly Chavo's) misbehavior like punching him or nicknaming him (always making fun of his obesity).
In one episode, he follows through on his eviction threat to Don Ramón, but while he is packing his belongings, Chavo and Quico come across an old scrapbook with pictures of Don Ramón as a boxer in his younger years. Barriga is overcome with emotion; as it turns out, he was heavily in debt and was about to go to jail when he desperately bet ''against'' Don Ramón in a boxing match, and won back enough money to clear his debts.
Even though he is the victim of Chavo's various pranks, he cares very deeply about him, even offering to take him to Acapulco instead of his son Ňoño, who is off on a camping trip with the Boy Scouts.
In the English dub version of the series, he is renamed Mr. Beliarge (pun on the word
belly
Belly may refer to:
Anatomy
* The abdomen, the part of the body between the pelvis and the thorax; or the stomach
** A beer belly, an overhang of fat above the waist, presumed to be caused by regular beer drinking
** Belly dance
* The fleshy, cent ...
and
large
Large means of great size.
Large may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Arbitrarily large, a phrase in mathematics
* Large cardinal, a property of certain transfinite numbers
* Large category, a category with a proper class of objects and morphisms ...
) and is voiced by
Dave Mallow
Dave Mallow (born October 19, 1948) is a retired American voice actor.
Biography
Mallow's father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating from Maine South High School, Mallow attained a B ...
. In Brazil, his name translates to Seu Barriga (literally "Mr. Belly") or Senhor Barriga.
La Popis
* Portrayed by
Florinda Meza
Florinda Meza García (born 8 February 1949) is a Mexican actress, comedian, television producer, and screenwriter. She is best known as Doña Florinda in ''El Chavo del Ocho'', La Chimoltrufia in ''Chespirito'', and other various roles in ''El ...
Doña Florinda's niece and Quico's cousin. Cutesy and dumb, Popis was usually only present in schoolroom scenes until after Quico left the series, when she filled in for his character in remakes of old episodes. She would frequently say "Acúsalo con tu mamá" ("Tell on him with your mom") sometimes at inappropriate moments, known in the English dub of the animated series as "I'm telling...", such as when Professor Jirafales told Quico that he gave the wrong answer. Whenever she says or does something wrong, she blames it on her doll, Serafina, which she loved as a daughter. In the English dub version of the series, she is renamed as Phoebe, her doll is renamed as Stephanie. She is voiced by
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz pianist.
Career Music career
Higgins earned a degree in music from Auburn University in 1991. She is a trained pianist who studied with the jazz artist Bob Richardson. She rel ...
in the animated and
Hynden Walch
Hynden Walch is an American actress. She is best known for voicing Starfire in the ''Teen Titans'' franchise and Princess Bubblegum in ''Adventure Time''. She also voiced Penny Sanchez in ''ChalkZone'', Amore and Lockette in the Nickelodeon ver ...
in the original. She fills in for Chilindrina in the animated series, as Chilindrina never appears or is mentioned in the series.
Ñoño
* Portrayed by
Edgar Vivar
Edgar is a commonly used English given name, from an Anglo-Saxon name ''Eadgar'' (composed of '' ead'' "rich, prosperous" and ''gar'' "spear").
Like most Anglo-Saxon names, it fell out of use by the later medieval period; it was, however, rev ...
Pronounced NYO-NYO, as in ''yo-yo'', Señor Barriga's son, he is as fat as his father, and thus is always the butt of the classroom's fat jokes. Ñoño was another classmate, but often appeared around the neighborhood if any scenes needed an extra kid. He is well-studied and good-hearted, but like most of the other kids, naïve to say the very least, so he is often taken advantage of. He also substituted for Quico in the later years. Ñoño usually gets teased by his peers due to his weight. In the English version of series, he is renamed as Junior and is voiced by
Yuri Lowenthal
Yuri Lowenthal (born March 5, 1971)Birthday references:
*
*
*
is an American voice actor, producer and screenwriter known chiefly for his work in cartoons, anime and video games. Some of his prominent roles in animations and anime include ...
of
Ben 10
''Ben 10'' is an American media franchise created by Man of Action Studios, produced by Cartoon Network Studios and owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The series centers on a boy named Ben Tennyson who acquires the Omnitrix, an alien device res ...
and
Naruto
''Naruto'' is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. It tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young ninja who seeks recognition from his peers and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the leader of his village. ...
fame in the animated, and
Bobby Moynihan
Bobby Moynihan (born January 31, 1977) is an American actor, comedian and writer who was a cast member on '' Saturday Night Live'' from 2008 until 2017. He also voiced Louie Duck on Disney's '' DuckTales'' from 2017 to 2021, Panda in '' We Bare ...
from
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
fame in the original. A hard joke on him over his weight was one where Quico and Chilindrina have several balloons and Chavo, hidden in his barrel, burst the balloons first to make his friends angry at each other and then to make them cry. When Ñoño arrives, with balloons too, Chavo confuses him with a balloon and burst his belly making Ñoño to "burst" leaving only his clothes visible. In Brazil, his name was changed to Nhonho, a phonetic transcription of Ñoño for Portuguese.
Godínez
* Portrayed by
Horácio Gómez Bolaños
An overall and baseball cap-wearing kid who usually keeps to himself and tries to dodge questions in the classroom so he can focus on drawing and playing musical instruments. Godínez is his surname; his given name is unknown. He seems to be a capable student but is totally uninterested. Godínez only appears on rare occasions. Horácio Gómez directed the show for a period. In real life, he was brother to Roberto, creator and writer of the series. In the English dub version of the series, he is renamed as Gordon''. He is voiced by
Kate Higgins
Catherine Davis Higgins is an American voice actress, singer and jazz pianist.
Career Music career
Higgins earned a degree in music from Auburn University in 1991. She is a trained pianist who studied with the jazz artist Bob Richardson. She rel ...
in the animated series and
Scott Menville
Scott David Menville (born February 12, 1971) is an American actor who is known for his voice work in animated films, television series and video games.
Life and career
Menville was born on February 12, 1971, to television animator and writer ...
in the original. Like his Spanish counterparts, Gordon is funny and makes ridiculous remarks.
Jaimito, el cartero
* Portrayed by
Raúl Padilla
A sociable but forgetful and negligent postal worker who appears in a few of the last episodes and takes over for Don Ramón and Quico in the Chavo segments on the hour-long "Chespirito". Whenever he enters the ''vecindad'', he is seen carrying an old bicycle, which he cannot ride because he couldn't learn (and he'll be instantly dismissed if he tells at the post office he doesn't know how to ride the bicycle). Jaimito also is rather lazy and tends to avoid carrying out tasks with the excuse of "avoiding fatigue" (in the English dub of the animated series, his excuse is that "his tiredness makes him tired"). He hails from
Tangamandapio
Santiago Tangamandapio, known as Tangamandapio, is a municipality located in the northwest part of the Mexican state of Michoacán, WSW of Zamora, Michoacán, 165 km from the state capital of Morelia. The geographic coordinates are: 19° 57 ...
which, although being a real location in Mexico, is thought by fans of being just a coincidental joke (Jaimito once said that "Tangamandapio is bigger than
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
; it's so big, it doesn't appear in any maps"). In the English dub version of the series, he is renamed as Manny the Mailman who comes from Upsidedowntown and is voiced by
Dave Mallow
Dave Mallow (born October 19, 1948) is a retired American voice actor.
Biography
Mallow's father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating from Maine South High School, Mallow attained a B ...
in the animated and
Tom Kenny
Thomas James Kenny (born July 13, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for voicing the titular character in ''SpongeBob SquarePants'' and associated media. Kenny has voiced many other characters, including Heffer Wolfe in '' ...
in the original. In Brazil, his name was changed to Jaiminho, o carteiro and his hometown Tangamandápio.
Doña Nieves
* Portrayed by
María Antonieta de las Nieves
María Antonieta Gómez Rodríguez (born 22 December 1949), more commonly known by her stage name María Antonieta de las Nieves, is a Mexican actress, comedian, singer, and author. Her best remembered role is that of La Chilindrina, one of the ...
Chilindrina's great-grandmother, and Don Ramón's grandmother (the one constantly referred to by Doña Florinda). Has character traits of both Don Ramón and Chilindrina. In some late "Chavo" episodes and early "Chespirito" episodes, she also takes over for her grandson Don Ramón. María Antonieta de las Nieves had been playing a nameless character similar to Doña Nieves for years in a variety of sketches, but she did not work particularly well in the Don Ramón role; for one thing, it was awkward that Doña Nieves and Chilindrina could not appear in scenes together except via special effects. In the series, she is renamed as Mrs. Nieves. By the late 1980s, her character had virtually disappeared from "El Chavo". In Brazil, her name was changed to Dona Neves. She has also appeared in various
Dr. Chapatín
Doctor is an academic title that originates from the Latin word of the same spelling and meaning. The word is originally an agentive noun of the Latin verb 'to teach'. It has been used as an academic title in Europe since the 13th century, w ...
sketches.
Minor characters
*Doña Eduviges (
Janet Arceo), only in 1973: For two episodes she lives in the upstairs apartment of the ''vecindad'' and interacts with the other characters. Except for dressing differently and living in a different apartment, she acts exactly the same as Doña Clotilde, right down to her heavy-handed flirting with Don Ramón. But obviously she was crazy, because one time she said that she dyed her hair white just because it was fashionable. The kids even call her ''"La Loca de la Escalera"'' ("The crazy lady upstairs"). In the very next episode, Doña Clotilde is back and Doña Eduviges is never mentioned again. Jaimito, el cartero is assumed to have moved into her apartment or one next to it, since he usually came from the same direction. In the English version she is renames to ''Ms. Oldwood'' and is voiced by
Grey Griffin
Grey DeLisle (; born Erin Grey Van Oosbree; August 24, 1973), sometimes credited as Grey Griffin, is an American voice actress, comedian and singer-songwriter. DeLisle is known for various roles in animated productions and video games. On Sept ...
.
*Paty and Gloria, in 1972, 1975 and 1978: Paty (who is Chavo's age) and her aunt Gloria (who is Don Ramón's) move into the upstairs apartment. They are considered to be very beautiful and the men and boys of the ''vecindad'' immediately fall in love with them, while the women and girls get jealous of them. The 1978 Paty (Ana Lilian de la Macorra) became a regular character, appearing in many episodes of the half-hour version's last season. In the English dub version of the series, Paty and Gloria names were not changed (except Paty was given another t in her name) and were both voiced by in the animated
Tara Platt
Tara Platt (born June 18, 1978) is an American actress and author who has provided voices for dozens of English-language versions of Japanese anime films, television series and video games. Her notable roles in anime include Temari in ''Naruto' ...
, in the original Paty was voiced by
Ashley Johnson and Gloria was voiced by
Kaitlyn Robrock
Kaitlyn Robrock ( , born December 30, 1983) is an American voice actress best known as the current voice of Minnie Mouse for Disney, Felicia Sundew in ''Amphibia'', Tommy on the television series '' Mr. Pickles'' and ''Momma Named Me Sheriff'' ...
. Gloria was interpreted by Maribel Fernández in 1972, Olivia Leiva in 1975 and Regina Torné in 1978; Paty was interpreted in 1972 by Patty Juárez, Rosita Bouchot in 1975, Ana Lilian de la Macorra in 1978 and Patty Strevel in 1987.
*Malicha (
María Luisa Alcalá
María Luisa Alcalá (26 March 1943 – 21 February 2016), was a Mexican actress and director.
Life
She became known for playing Malicha in '' El Chavo del Ocho''. This character emerged in 1974 as a kind of replacement for La Chilindrina, pl ...
), only in 1974: Don Ramón's god-daughter. During María Antonieta de las Nieves' absence, Malicha briefly replaced her. Much like Doña Eduviges, she disappeared after a small number of episodes and was barely missed. In the English version of the series she was renamed to ''Molly'' and was voiced by Ashley Johnson.
*Don Román (
Germán Robles
Germán Horacio Robles San Agustín (March 20, 1929 – November 21, 2015) was a Spanish actor who came to Mexico when he was 17, after Spain's civil war.
In Mexican cinema, he is best known for his amazing characterization of vampires in many c ...
), only in 1975: He takes Don Ramón's place in an episode of the 1975 season; he is said to be Don Ramón's cousin. In Brazil, his name was changed to Seu Madroga, being analogous to Don Ramón/Seu Madruga. In English he is known as ''Mr. Roman'' and is voiced by
Jeff Bennett
Jeffrey Glenn Bennett (born October 2, 1962) is an American voice actor who voiced Johnny Bravo in the eponymous television series, Dexter's Dad in ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Brooklyn in '' Gargoyles'' and Kowalski in the ''Penguins of Madagascar' ...
.
*Señor Hurtado (José Antonio Mena and Ricardo de Pascual), in 1974 and 1976: A suspicious man (actually a thief) who lives in the ''vecindad'' in a single episode conveniently named "El Ladrón De La Vecindad". His felonies are charged to Chavo by mistake (which results in everyone in the ''vecindad''
accusing
An accusation is a statement by one person asserting that another person or entity has done something improper. The person who makes the accusation is an accuser, while the subject against whom it is made is the accused. Whether a statement is i ...
El Chavo of
theft
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for so ...
, causing him to temporarily leave the ''vecindad'' in a nocturnal scene full of
sorrow
Sorrow may refer to:
* Sorrow (emotion)
* ''Sorrow'' (Van Gogh), an 1882 drawing by Vincent van Gogh
* "Sorrow" (Bad Religion song), 2001
* "Sorrow" (The McCoys song), also covered by The Merseys and David Bowie
* "Sorrow" (Pink Floyd song), ...
, thus making this one of the
saddest scenes of the series), but he ultimately returns the stolen objects, restoring Chavo's innocence towards his neighbors; however, Hurtado never does claim the robberies himself. His name is reference to the Spanish word "''hurtado''", implying he's, in fact, a thief ("hurtar" is Spanish for "to steal"). In the English dub of the series, he is known as "Mr. Crookley" and since the English version's credits of the animated did not list the character, it is possible that he is either voiced by
Kirk Thornton
Kirk Thornton is an American voice actor, director and script writer working mainly with English-language versions of Japanese anime shows.
Career
His major roles include Brandon Heat in ''Gungrave'', Hotohori in ''Fushigi Yūgi'', Klein in ' ...
(who does various bit parts of the show) or
Dave Mallow
Dave Mallow (born October 19, 1948) is a retired American voice actor.
Biography
Mallow's father worked in radio and television and was a 30-year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. After graduating from Maine South High School, Mallow attained a B ...
(judging by his voice which sounds like a combination of Manny and Beliarge). In the English dub of the original he is voiced by
Carlos Alazraqui
Carlos Jaime Alazraqui (born July 20, 1962) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, impressionist, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his role as Deputy James Garcia on '' Reno 911!'' and for his voice acting roles. His extensive ...
. In Brazil, his name was translated into Senhor Furtado, fitting to his surname ("furtar" is Portuguese for "to steal") very similarly to the original Spanish language and also being an actual surname in the country.
*Senõr Pelonsillo (a.k.a. Señor Calvillo), only in 1976: This bald character only appears in a two-part episode called "Se Vende La Vecindad." In this episode, Sr. Barriga discovers that he has heart problems and must move to a location with a lower altitude. Senõr Pellosino thus offers to buy the vecindad, or neighborhood, from him. Everybody is against it, and had a crush on Doña Cleotilde. Fortunately, Sr. Barriga's diagnosis turned to be incorrect, and he proceeds to stay without selling to Sr. Pellosino. This character is portrayed by Ricardo de Pascual, the same actor who plays Sr. Hurtado. In the English version he is renamed to ''Mr. Baldman'' and is voiced by Carlos Alazraqui like Señor Hurtado.
Animated series only
*Justiciero Enmascarado (English: Secret Masked Crusader) is El Chavo's favorite wrestler and one of the favorite heroes, like El Chapulin Colorado ("Captain Hopper") in the Television, he fights enemies like vampires, zombies and wolfmen. his enemy is Furioso Desesperado ("Desperate Furious").
*Rubia Margot (English: Margot Blonde) is an actress of some movies and TV shows that Don Ramón (Mr. Raimond) falls in love, in the debut, Mr. Raimond is knocked out that makes an allusination to Miss Pinster as the actress. El Chavo and the gang believed that Mr. Raimond is charmed by the Witch's spells.
*Rufino Malacara (English: Ruffino Meanface) was played as the main villain in two episodes of season four of El Chavo animado, is original based on Señor Calvillo, he make a lie to Mr. Belliarge to be a new Neighborhood owner, he asked Chavo and the gand to find the treasure in the ground of the neighborhood after Chavo told him that there was a treasure (which turned to be Quico) that later can't cave more holes anymore, just accidentally Chavo breaks a pipe, when everyone in the neighborhood are confronting Rufino Malacara when Mr. Belliarge went away and is back when he found a tr