O Menino Maluquinho
| Menino Maluquinho | |
|---|---|
| First appearance |
"book" (1980) "comics" (1989) |
| Created by | Ziraldo |
| Information | |
| Species | human |
| Gender | Male |
O Menino Maluquinho (The Nutty Boy) is a comic book and comic strip series created by Brazilian writer and cartoonist Ziraldo. It was based on the eponymous children's book published in 1980 that became a phenomenon during the 1990s and 2000s, spun off into movies, plays and TV series.[1] The comic books were published by Abril and Globo from 1989 until 2007. It was Ziraldo's second series of comic books, after "Turma do Pererê".
Maluquinho is a playful and optimistic 10-year-old boy who wears a pan on his head. Most of the stories revolve around the antics of Maluquinho and friends.
Characters
- Maluquinho (literally Nutty) - The main character, an eccentric and playful boy, mischievous and troublemaking but good-hearted. He is always close to his friends Bocão and Junim, and is popular with girls (it is said in the book that he has 10 girlfriends, all at once), mainly Julieta. He often wears a pan on his head as an improvised Napoleon's hat,[2] an adult-sized blue jacket and brown dress shoes, both pieces looking quite oversized on him. Aside from that, his main attire is a yellow T-shirt, black shorts and white and sky blue sneakers.
- Julieta - Maluquinho's girlfriend. She's a girl of his age, sometimes considered a female version as "Menina Maluquinha" ("The Nutty Girl"). She also co-starred with him in several stories. She had her own comic that was released in 2004. She has long, black, frizzy hair, wears a red T-shirt with a lightning bolt design, pleated white skirt and red and white sneakers.
- Bocão (literally Gobber) - Maluquinho's best friend, chubby and with something of a sweet tooth: hence the meaning of his nickname. He has a little sister named Nina. He is a bit taller than the others and dresses all in blue.
- Junim (a corruption of Juninho, in turn an affectionate form of Junior) - Another best friend of Maluquinho, short in stature and with thick-rimmed glasses. Often gets stressed when his friends make fun of his little size. Like Maluquinho and Julieta, he also had his own comic that was released in 2007. Has blond hair which stands upright, wears a black-and-red striped shirt, blue pants and tennis shoes.
- Carol - A friend of Julieta and possible love interest of Maluquinho. She is a vegetarian who cares about nature. She has black hair done in braided pigtails and wears a green dress.
- Herman - A bully and Maluquinho's rival. He is a tall strong boy who is jealous of Maluquinho for always being the center of attention and often threatens to beat him. Has strawberry blond hair and wears mainly a blue sweater with jogging pants in the same color.
Adaptations
Films
In 1995 Menino Maluquinho - O Filme was released, directed by Helvécio Ratton, with a cast of Samuel Costa, Roberto Bomtempo, Patrícia Pillar, Othon Bastos and Luís Carlos Arutin. Maluquinho and his friends play during the holidays, and Maluquinho visit's his grandfather's house. At the end of the film the grandfather dies, leaving his grandson very sad.
The film had a sequel in 1997 titled Menino Maluquinho 2 - A Aventura,[3] directed by Fernando Meirelles, with the same cast as the first film. In this movie Maluquinho tells his friends a story of another trip to his grandfather's house, where they discover a creature of fire called Tatá and become her friends.
TV series
In 2006 the channel TVE Brasil (currently TV Brasil) produced a live-action sitcom called Um Menino Muito Maluquinho.[4] This was the channel's second adaptation of Ziraldo's comics, following A Turma do Pererê.[5] The series, usually narrated by an adult, follows the life of Maluquinho and his friends, alternating between their early childhood (up to age 5) and his current age of 10. The show became popular, winning several awards and being broadcast on other channels— TV Cultura[6] and Disney Channel— but did not have a second season.
In August 2014 the production of a cartoon series of 26 episodes based on the character was announced,[7] to be produced by the studio Oca Filmes with traditional 2D animation, based on Ziraldo's original style. Another cartoon, for the preschool audience and titled "Bebê Maluquinho" (Nutty Baby), was announced in July 2014 using CGI animation.[8][9]
References
- ↑ Portal Educacional — "Biografia detalhada"
- ↑ Montano, Fernanda (October 24, 2012). "O Eterno Maluquinho". Revista Crescer (in Portuguese). Retrieved March 31, 2014.
- ↑ "Sequência de O Menino Maluquinho retrata uma infância feliz". Terra Networks (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 10, 2014.
- ↑ "A Turma do Pererê". InfanTv (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 November 2015.
- ↑ "Petrobras patrocina série Um Menino Muito Maluquinho na TVE". Terra Networks (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ↑ "Série do Menino Maluquinho estreia na TV Cultura". Terra Networks (in Portuguese). Retrieved May 11, 2014.
- ↑ Matheus Sousa. "Menino Maluquinho: personagem vai ganhar série de animação". ANMTV (in Portuguese). Retrieved August 8, 2014.
- ↑ "Novidades sobre a série de animação do Menino Maluquinho". InfoAnimation (in Portuguese). Retrieved June 8, 2015.
- ↑ "'O Menino Maluquinho' ganhará série de animação". InfoAnimation (in Portuguese). 31 July 2014. Retrieved 2 November 2015.
External links
- Official Website (Portuguese)