Pelezinho
Cover of the first issue published in 1977.
Publication information
PublisherEditora Abril
Schedulemonthly
Publication date1977 - 1986
No. of issues54 (+ 8 almanacs)
Main character(s)Pelezinho
Cana Braba
Frangão
Bonga
Jão Balão

Pelezinho is a Brazilian comic book series created by Mauricio de Sousa based on soccer star Pelé in his childhood. The character was created in 1976 from conversations between Mauricio and Pelé[1] to create a character to better promote the player who at the time had just become a phenomenon for the Brazil national team. The characters were suggested by Pelé himself, based on childhood memories.[1]

The comic was published from August 1977 to December 1986, totaling 66 issues released, and after that the character was no longer used for a long time, except in some special comics. On the other hand, in addition to him, several other football stars have also been created by Mauricio, as well as Pelezinho, as well as children's versions such as Dieguito (based on Diego Maradona),[2] Ronaldo Fenômeno,[3] Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Neymar. It was only in June 2012 that the character was used again with the republication of the old comics.[4]

Publication History

In the 70's, after many difficult negotiations between Mauricio de Sousa and Pelé, finally there was an understanding. The idea of the creator of Monica and Friends was that the character being a child, contrary to Pelé's desire, who imagined an adult version. Mauricio de Sousa's arguments prevailed, which included the assertion that the continuity of the Pelé's brand would be guaranteed if it involved children. Thus, in October 1976, it was first released through newspaper strips on Folha de S. Paulo sharing space with Jimmy Five, Blu and Lionel's Kingdom comic strips.[2] Later, in August 1977, his magazine was launched, in addition to his almanacs, by the publisher Abril, together with the Monica magazines. From then on, success was not limited to the comics published in Brazil and other countries, as Pelezinho became a doll and stamped on the packaging of the most varied products, from food to sporting goods, to various types of toys.[2]

The issue 58, released in May 1982, was Pelezinho's last magazine. Even so, the almanacs with republications of the best stories and strips continued until December 1986. There were eight issues, in addition to two special editions that commemorated the arrival of the second World Cup in Mexico that year.

As of January 1987, all of Mauricio de Sousa's comics began to be published by the publisher Globo, except Pelezinho, which had its publication closed. However, it was published by the publisher Almanaque a special edition in honor of Pelé's 50th birthday. The following year Pelezinho got a new almanac on Globo with a selection of old stories, which was discontinued after the first issue.

In 1990 the character reappeared three times. First, in issue 7 of the series of comic strips As Melhores Piadas in pocket format (in which each issue was starred by a different character created by Mauricio de Sousa). Then in the 1990 FIFA World Cup came a comic book with only unpublished stories (in one of which there was a crossover between Pelezinho and Pelé). And finally, Pelezinho Especial – 50 Anos de Pelé, a giant-size edition with more than 200 pages.

In June 2012, Mauricio de Sousa confirmed the return of publication of Turma do Pelezinho by Panini Comics and announced that he plans to do a project along the same lines with Neymar.[5] In 2013, Neymar's magazine is launched, soon after, Maurício de Sousa Produções decided to change the look of Pelezinho, removing the "blackface" characteristics.[6]

Characters

Animation

In 2014 an animated series of 13 episodes of 2 minutes titled Pelezinho: Planeta Futebol (lit. Pelezinho: Football Planet) debuted on Discovery Kids during the time of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.[7] The animation focuses on educational stories about the culture of the countries that competed during the cup.

Legacy

Pelezinho is considered one of the great classics of Brazilian comics and creations by Mauricio de Sousa. The comic's success inspired the creation of other fictional characters based on Brazilian celebrities adapted as children like Senninha (based on Ayrton Senna),[8] Oscarzinho (based on Oscar Schmidt),[9] Xuxinha (based on Xuxa), Aninha (based on Ana Maria Braga), Didizinho (based on Renato Aragão's character Didi),[10] as well as other characters based on popular footballers created by Mauricio like Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Neymar Jr.

References

  1. ^ a b "Turma do Mauricio". Superinteressante. Editora Abril. February 2004. Retrieved 22 November 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Marcus Ramone (5 April 2007). "Pelezinho: a história de um craque dos gibis". Universo HQ.
  3. ^ Ronaldo Fenômeno ganha homenagem de Maurício de Sousa, em sua despedida dos gramados
  4. ^ "Revista da Mônica". www.getback.com.br. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  5. ^ "Mauricio de Sousa relança "Pelezinho" e mira criar "Neymarzinho"". Terra. June 27, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  6. ^ MSP muda o visual do Pelezinho
  7. ^ "Pelezinho ganha animação no Discovery Kids". 2 June 2014.
  8. ^ Emanuel Colombari (1 May 2014). "Queria que fosse um Mickey nacional, diz criador do Senninha". Terra.
  9. ^ Dani Blaschkauer (22 January 1998). "Oscar lança gibi e vira astro de cinema". Folha Online.
  10. ^ WALDOMIRO VERGUEIRO (27 December 2002). "As Aventuras do Didizinho: O retorno do trapalhão". Omelete.
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