Condorito
Encyclopedia
Condorito is a comic strip
that features an anthropomorphic condor
living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue
— a typical small Chile
an provincial town. He is meant to be a representation of the Latin American people.
Condorito was created by the Chilean cartoonist
René Ríos
, known as Pepo. In spite of his Chilean origin, Condorito is very popular throughout Latin America
, where the character is considered part of the general popular culture, and has a growing readership in the United States as well. Condorito and his friends appear in a daily comic strip
.
The structure of Condorito is very simple: each page is an independent joke, without any continuity with others (though some jokes are larger or shorter than one page). The jokes are often sexist or male chauvinistic in nature, and some of the details included in the artwork are gender-dependent, but the humor is usually couched in double-entendres that children would be unlikely to understand.
One peculiar characteristic of Condorito is that the character that goes through the embarrassing moment and/or serves as the butt of the joke in a given strip almost always falls backwards to the floor (legs visible or out of frame) in the final panel, although new comic strips have now put the victim of the joke looking at the reader instead. This classic comic strip "flop take" is accompanied by a free-fall onomatopoeic sound (usually ¡Plop!). From time to time, this is replaced by the victim of the joke saying ¡Exijo una explicación! ("I demand an explanation!"), usually as a twist or downbeat ending.
In 1942, the Walt Disney
Company created the animated film Saludos Amigos
depicting Donald Duck
and a cast of anthropomorphic characters representing various nations of the Americas. In the film, while the Disney characters are represented as humorous versions of charro
s, gaucho
s, etc., Chile was represented as Pedro, a small airplane engaged in his very first flight, whose attempt to fly over the Andes
to pick up air mail from Mendoza
is humorously depicted. Pepo created Condorito in response to what he perceived as a slight to the image of Chile.
After the military coup of 1973, some Chilean cartoonists were censored by the military regime, yet unlike other publications (such as the Argentinian Mafalda
), which combined criticism of society with humor, Condorito, which lacked the former, continued to be published. Since that time, many Chilean comics with a political view on society (e.g. Hervi
's Super Cifuentes) have been forgotten. Condorito remains the best-known Chilean comic book character.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
that features an anthropomorphic condor
Condor
Condor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
living in a fictitious town named Pelotillehue
Pelotillehue
Pelotillehue is a fictional town where the comic character Condorito lives. Pelotillehue represents a typical province town or city in Chile. Deducing from its name Pelotillehue may be located somewhere in or close to the central-southern region of Chile, due to the presence of the typical...
— a typical small Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an provincial town. He is meant to be a representation of the Latin American people.
Condorito was created by the Chilean cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
René Ríos
René Ríos Boettiger
René Ríos Boettiger , also known as Pepo, was a Chilean cartoonist, creator of the famous character Condorito....
, known as Pepo. In spite of his Chilean origin, Condorito is very popular throughout Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
, where the character is considered part of the general popular culture, and has a growing readership in the United States as well. Condorito and his friends appear in a daily comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
.
The structure of Condorito is very simple: each page is an independent joke, without any continuity with others (though some jokes are larger or shorter than one page). The jokes are often sexist or male chauvinistic in nature, and some of the details included in the artwork are gender-dependent, but the humor is usually couched in double-entendres that children would be unlikely to understand.
One peculiar characteristic of Condorito is that the character that goes through the embarrassing moment and/or serves as the butt of the joke in a given strip almost always falls backwards to the floor (legs visible or out of frame) in the final panel, although new comic strips have now put the victim of the joke looking at the reader instead. This classic comic strip "flop take" is accompanied by a free-fall onomatopoeic sound (usually ¡Plop!). From time to time, this is replaced by the victim of the joke saying ¡Exijo una explicación! ("I demand an explanation!"), usually as a twist or downbeat ending.
Characters
- Condorito: The main character, Condorito is an anthropomorphic condorCondorCondor is the name for two species of New World vultures, each in a monotypic genus. They are the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere.They are:* The Andean Condor which inhabits the Andean mountains....
, lackadaisical and unambitious, but also kind, loyal, friendly and ingenious. Always a picaresque character, he is a sort of antihero who solves his problems using his wit, not his talent or work. He is portrayed as holding a wide variety of jobs (or none whatsoever), to humorous effect. His origins are obscure: in one strip it is said that his condor father threw him out of the nest in the Andes Mountains and that he grew up among humans, thereby acquiring his anthropomorphic characteristics; however, such references are very rare, and Condorito is often portrayed as a regular guy living a very human life. Originally, his head was that of a regular condor (long beak, larger neck feathers) and he smoked, but over the years, his head became rounder and the cigarette was dropped to appeal to kids.
- Yayita: Condorito's "fashionable eternal fiancée." She loves him but hates his reluctance to discuss marriage. Although Condorito often gives her flowers, most of the time they come from her own garden. Yayita is strong-minded, very attractive, sharp-tongued and sometimes jealous (though she isn't above flirting with other men in order to gain Condorito's attention). A running gag involves Yayita wearing revealing outfits or minuscule thongs that make everyone look at her with desire, while Condorito shakes and foams with rage. She is also very unskilled at things like driving, cooking, and painting, which tends to be a source of problems for Condorito. (A running gag involves Condorito trying to eat Yayita's atrocious home cooking just to avoid hurting her feelings.) Yayita also tries a lot of odd jobs to support her lifestyle (e.g., movie extra, secretary, model, flight attendant) and practices aerobics and nudism at a women-only health club, all behind her boyfriend's back.
- Don Chuma: Condorito's best, most loyal friend, he is a tall, thin, kind man man who helps Condorito to solve some of his problems, especially the ones related to money. He always has a cigarette hanging from his lower lip and works as a carpenter, building houses or furniture for the townsfolk. Condorito calls him "Compadre" or "Cumpa" ("Fella"). They are probably actual compadres (i.e., godbrothers: one is the godfather of the other's son or, in Condorito's case, nephew). His signature quotes are "No se fije en gastos, compadre" ("Don't mind expenses, fellow") and "¡Por las canillas del mono!" ("By the monkey's shins!"). Sometimes he depicted as single, but other times he has a wife.
- Pepe Cortisona, a.k.a. "Saco de Plomo" ("Sack of Lead"): Condorito's nemesis (although they seem to be occasionally friendly to each other), especially when it comes to courting Yayita. Tall, arrogant and muscular, he calls Condorito "Pajarraco" ("Big Ugly Bird") and constantly makes fun of his poverty and poor physical form. He is the typical jock who depends on appearance, money and physical strength to make a point. Occasionally he joins forces with Condorito to achieve a common goal, but they always end up backstabbing each other.
- Coné: Condorito's young nephew (an orphaned relative he took in). Coné had a series of his own, aimed at younger audiences, and its supporting cast included many of his uncle's friends' children. His name comes from when Condorito presented him to the Civil Registry, and he wanted to name him "Eugenio" (Eugene), but the civil servant insisted in writing "Ugenio." Condorito cried out "¡Con E!" ("It's spelled with an E!") several times, so the man finally wrote down "Coné".
- Yuyito: Yayita's tomboyish niece and Coné's best friend and partner in crime, even if sometimes they can be seen fighting and punching each other. Her eyes are completely black.
- Don Cuasimodo and Doña Tremebunda: Yayita's fat, grumpy and overprotective parents, who reluctantly tolerate their daughter's engagement with Condorito and secretly support Pepe Cortisona as a better candidate for their daughter's hand. Cuasimodo, however, is willing to go along with Condorito when the latter makes fun of Tremebunda. At the same time, while Don Cuasimodo and Doña Tremebunda fight and yell at each other all the time, they are always ready to join forces to beat up Condorito when he tries to stay for dinner or when he gets too romantic with Yayita.
- Garganta de Lata ("Tin Throat"): A tall, jolly, thin redhead with a typical alcoholic's nose. He spends most of his time at the "Bar El Tufo" ("The Stench Bar") or sleeping off a hangover in the street, which makes his wife and friends very upset. Despite his alcoholism, Garganta de Lata is a very loyal pal and a more than decent father.
- Ungenio Gonzalez: A not-so-smart pal of Condorito. He has white hair; a long nose; and big teeth, reminiscent of a donkey's teeth, from which a drip of drool usually hangs. He has a son, Genito, who is almost identical to him. "Ungenio" is a satirical pun, both as a wordplay on "ingenuo" ("naïve") and as "un genio" ("a genius") is what Ungenio is most definitely not.
- Huevoduro ("Hard-Boiled Egg"): A potbellied, egg-headed, completely white character whom Rios claims is based upon a very pale, bald Canadian ambassador. Like Don Chuma, Huevoduro is often a straight man to Condorito in the strips.
- Chuleta: A tall, thin, jolly man with huge teeth, long sideburns, a thin mustache and green skin. ("Chuleta" is Chilean slang for "sideburn".) He is also based on a real person with a greenish skin color that made him look eternally sick.
- Don Máximo Tacaño ("Most Stingy"): A humorous miser who would rather die than part with his money and does all kinds of ridiculous things just to save money or avoid buying things, even if he really needs them. He is often loansharking others and would not part even with items he doesn't need. Originally, there was a stereotypical and amoral Jewish moneylender in his place (variably called Don Jacoibo or Don Salomón), but this character was replaced due to complaints.
- Padre Venancio: Pelotillehue's Roman Catholic priest, presumably (because of his haircut) a Franciscan. He tries to guide Condorito and the others in "the good way."
- Tomate ("Tomato"): Short, fat, shy and bald, his head resembles a tomato, since his face is permanently red due to his shyness. Sometimes substitutes for Huevoduro in the strips. He is always trying to lose weight, without success.
- Comegato ("Cat Eater"): A friend of Condorito who has a feline face and wears a beret and a black turtleneck. As his name suggests, he frequently hunts and eats cats, much to his friend's disgust.
- Cabellos de ángel ("Angel Hair"): Big-nosed, half-shaven and potbellied, his hair is like a sea urchin. Often the subject of jokes about his hair (e.g., if he headbutts a football, it will deflate).
- Chacalito ("Little Jackal"): A criminal character, usually seen in jail or on trial for his crimes, which range from stealing to homicide. His name is ironic, since he appears to be the biggest, strongest man in town. The other characters befriend him only to avoid getting on his bad side.
- Che Copete: A stereotypical ArgentineArgentinaArgentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
character who resembles an old-fashioned tango singer. He is very arrogant and proud of his country (and often tends to exaggerate the quality of it or himself), yet he is friendly and good-natured. "Che" is an interjection frequently used by Argentines in much the same way as "Hey!" or "Pal!". Che GuevaraChe GuevaraErnesto "Che" Guevara , commonly known as el Che or simply Che, was an Argentine Marxist revolutionary, physician, author, intellectual, guerrilla leader, diplomat and military theorist...
received his nickname for the same reason.
- Titicaco: A BoliviaBoliviaBolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
n or PeruPeruPeru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
vian choloCholoCholo is an ethnic slur created by Hispanic criollos in the 16th century, and it has been applied to individuals of mixed or pure American Indian ancestry, or other racially mixed origin. The precise usage of "cholo" has varied widely in different times and places...
character who wears a typical colla hat and is very friendly with everyone. He was removed from the cast in the late 1980s, as he was seen as a stereotypical cholo from the altiplanoAltiplanoThe Altiplano , in west-central South America, where the Andes are at their widest, is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside of Tibet...
.
- Fonola: A huge, hairy man about the same size as Pepe Cortisona, but without the teeth and with a huge voice ("Fonola" is slang for "phonographPhonographThe phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
"). As a running gag, Fonola's 's body odor, especially his feet's, warns everyone of his presence, even if he is many blocks away.
- Washington, Mandíbula and Matías: Condorito's pets. Washington is his dog, Mandíbula ("Jaw") his horse, and Matías his potty-mouthed parrot. Washington appears the most, and in some strips he can talk, but Matías often takes the speaking pet roles. Sometimes Condorito has sold them, but they always end up returning to Condorito's side.
- Juan Sablazo: The typical conman who puts up a sob story or a good excuse in order to borrow money and never pays it back. He is almost famished and wears a very worn-out tuxedo. Everyone avoids him, because he always uses elaborate semantics to turn any innocent conversation into a pretext to borrow money, food or items from his "friends."
- Doña Peta, a.k.a. "Misiá Petita": A big, round, gentle, middle-aged housewife who is a neighbor of Condorito. She often takes care of Coné when Condorito is away. She seems to be a widow as portrayed in some strips.
- Condor Otto and Huevo Fritz: Variations on Condorito and Huevoduro, but characters in their own right. They are German or German-descended characters usually used to tell jokes with obvious puns or very dumb punchlines.
- San Guchito: Although not generally a character, he is the patron saint of Pelotillehue. He is usually shown in benediction, holding a sandwich in his left hand. His name is a play on the English word sandwich. Condorito has been known to cry out at times, "San Guchito, sálvame!" ("Saint Wichito, save me!"). Sometimes he appears to grant wishes or perform miracles, other times he just appears in front of people to scold them and warn them about their oncoming fates.
- Don Sata: Satan himself. Normally he tries to corrupt Condorito and friends by offering them power, riches, etc. in exchange for their souls, with different degrees of success. Generally, Condorito manages to outfox him, but on some occasions, Don Sata gets the upper hand and then drags his victim to hellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
to torture him until the end of the joke. Father Venancio has faced and expelled him at least once.
- San Pedro ("Saint Peter"): Is the gatekeeper of Heaven, and decides who enters paradise. He is portrayed as a big old man with a long white beard, with a gentle manner and always welcoming the characters that have died (just for the joke). He is not a parody of the catholic saint, and is utilized to obliquely depict God. In numerous gags starring San Pedro, Don Sata is involved.
- Maca and Potoca: Two young and beautiful girls created as recurrent "filler" characters for jokes involving nudity or risky situations. One of them is a brunette, wears a hairband and has a passive personality; the other sports short chestnut hair and a more volatile temper.
Since Condorito's creator had forbidden his team of artists and writers from drawing Yayita with provocative clothes or "sexy" attitudes to keep her in her canon "girl next door" character, this pair of girls was created to take Yayita's place during the riskier jokes or situations out of character for Yayita.
Condorito has caught them skinny dipping, nude sunbathing, and wearing minuscule bikinis that get lost in the sea. Sometimes he meets them in the street and attempts to seduce one of them. Sometimes only one of these girls appears in a joke; other times both appear, generally being caught naked or after Condorito tries to seduce one of them.
Places
- PelotillehuePelotillehuePelotillehue is a fictional town where the comic character Condorito lives. Pelotillehue represents a typical province town or city in Chile. Deducing from its name Pelotillehue may be located somewhere in or close to the central-southern region of Chile, due to the presence of the typical...
: Native town of Condorito. It's shown as a growing semi-rural town, surrounded by farms, lakes and crossed by its own river.
- Buenas Peras: Rival and neighboring city of Pelotillehue. Their two football clubsFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
usually battle in the national league championship playoff.
- Cumpeo: Neighboring city of Pelotillehue. A nice, quiet town, with a neutral stance between Pelotillehue and Buenas Peras's rivality. Cumpeo also is a real town in southern Chile thus creating a geographical sense of where Pelotillehue and Buenas Peras would be.
- El "Chalét" (The "Cottage"): The house of Condorito. Is actually a small and poor shack, and he use to call it the “Cottage” in an ironical sense. Coné also lives there, and is often the house where jokes take place.
- Bar "El Tufo": A pub-like bar where Condorito and his pals hang on most of time. This place is also Garganta de Lata's second home.
- Restaurant "El Pollo Farsante" (Restaurant "The Rubber Chicken"): The town's most popular restaurant. The characters eat here whenever a special occasion merits it, and sometimes even get a job as a waiter or chef. Its owner gives inhuman punishments to anyone who attempts to eat and run.
- Pelotillehue's Prison: A big, creepy prison built in the middle of the town. (Most likely the town grew too much and eventually surrounded it.) Despite its menacing look, this prison's safety is minimal: most prisoners escape at will and some of them even have the gall to escape, commit a crime and return to their cell for dinner and sleep.
- Pelotillehue's Mental Asylum: The town's madhouse, full of demented people in wacky outfits or a few mad inventors. Normally everyone behave at very tolerable levels, at the point that very few "patients" ever attempt to escape. (According to them, the asylum's walls are meant to keep the *real* mad people *outside*, while the inmates stay inside and safe.) The place is also separated by gender, because according to its director, "The inmates are just mad, not stupid."
- Pelotillehue's Nudist Camp: The town's health club, surrounded by a huge wall to keep curious people away. Generally the comic's characters are attempting to find ways to peep at the pretty women inside, or they are nudists themselves, sharing the club's activities or attending some weird job inside the club.
- Pelotillehue's Stadium: Is the sport center of the town. Sometimes it is shown as a big place, capable of holding athletics events, but generally is portrayed as a small yard, where Pelotillehue and Buenas Peras face each other on a football match. In a lot of jokes, we can see the characters arriving at the stadium in the back of a truck or in a crowded bus.
- Hotel "Dos llegan, Tres se van" (Hotel "Two arrive, three leave"): The town's hotel. Sometimes is depicted as a big and luxurious hotel and other times is just a flea ridden shack. Condorito works occasionally here as a receptionist or a bellhop.
Stage gags
- A crocodileCrocodileA crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
seen trying to get into a building through a window or duct.
- A sleepwalkerSleepwalkingSleepwalking, also known as somnambulism, is a sleep disorder belonging to the parasomnia family. Sleepwalkers arise from the slow wave sleep stage in a state of low consciousness and perform activities that are usually performed during a state of full consciousness...
in pajamas (even in the middle of the day). Generally he is seen walking in the most unusual places (on a fence or a rooftop, for example) and other times he is about to fall into an hole or step in a nail.
- A sign "DEИTRE SIN GORPEAL" (dyslexic interpretation of "ENTRE SIN GOLPEAR", "enter without knocking"). The sign can be hanging from a wall, and the words can even form part of a larger sign.
- A sign "NO ESTOY" (NOT HOME) above a rodent hole.
- Newspaper stands selling Condorito's comicbooks among the newspapers and magazines.
- A guy saying "Quiero Irme!" (I Want to Leave!).
- A street corner with the legends "Tarapacá" (a Chilean region and the name of a Santiago city street; "pacá" sounds like a contraction of "para acá" - "Over here" or "This way") and "Tarapallá" (alluding to "para allá" - "Over there" or "that way").
- Street graffitiGraffitiGraffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
. The best-known spray-painted quote was "MUERA EL ROTO QUEZADA" ("Death to the RotoRotoRoto or rota is a Chilean term, considered derogatory, which refers to a person of poverty and vulgar habits of urban origin. It is also used contemptuously to refer to inhabitants of Chile, especially in Peru and Bolivia...
Quezada"), after a real-life grudge Pepo had against a Chilean military officer who had mistreated his wife during an incident at an army club. Washington, named after Major Washington Quezada, is sometimes depicted urinating on this graffiti. "Roto" is a pejorative term used in Chile to refer to an unrefined person. Beginning in the 1980s, as the comic's fandom spread throughout Latin America, the quotes were changed ranging from the silly (Shake that ugly dandruff of yours, just not here) to the more useful (Do not puncture the ozone layer). In some international editions or re-editions, the Roto Quezada graffiti was simply erased.
- A jumbo jet (usually a Boeing 747Boeing 747The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
-like aircraft) in the middle of the sky.
- Billboards or advertisements for the beverage Pin, with the slogan Tome Pin y haga ¡Pum! (Drink Pin and do Pum!!), or more likely as it is assumed that Pin would be a carbonated beverage, and pum is a children's word for fart, Drink Pin and Fart!) This was a direct parody of two real sodas (Bilz y Pap) which slogan back then was "Tome Bilz y haga Pap" (Drink Bilz and do Pap). In one strip when Pepe Cortisona had immigrated to a foreign country to find a job (presumed to be the U.S., given the size of the skyscrapers) there was even a sign in English saying "DRINK PIN WATER".
- When Yayita or an attractive girl makes a free-fall they lose their shoes and sometimes, a few clothing pieces too.
- Waiting rooms or bus stops with one or two persons reduced to a dusty skeleton.
- Usually, the picture of an association football player is seen hanging on Condorito's house. During the joke, the background images shows the soccer player kicking his ball out of the photo, and some panels later, he is seen stretching an arm out of his picture, trying to recover his ball.
- Meat stores selling barking sausages or with horse noises coming from the butchery room.
- Used chamberpots and smelly feet can be seen in the most weird places.
- Tons of different variations of "Peeping Tom" jokes, with Condorito purposely or casually spying on pretty women undressing, bathing, skinny dipping or practicing nudism. However, the tone of the jokes is always silly or light-hearted, for example Condorito (as a forestal guard) spies a group of girls attempting to take a skinny dip on a lake, and waits until the last moment to stop them pointing to a "No swimming" sign, but he invites them to stay and sunbathe if they want to.
Generally, Condorito always gets beaten up or arrested at the end of these strips, but (in very rare occasions) the girl(s) smile to him, uncover themselves and make sensual invitations that Condorito always misinterprets or directly fails to understand until it's too late.
- Public nudity jokes caused by accidents, mistakes or exhibitionists. Once again, the jokes are treated in a humorous and non-innuendish way, generally using puns or silly language confusions to justify it. For example, a group of beautiful girls can arrive to an empty beach and find a sleeping Condorito taking a nude sunbath, then all decide to imitate him and strip naked to swim, sunbath and frolic around in the "nudist beach" until Condorito wakes up, and very shocked, explains them that he isn't a nudist, he was just beaten up by a thief.
Other running gags include exhibitionist girls impersonating Lady Godiva (which Condorito "heals" by giving them a perm or a buzzcut), language confusions like a smoking-clad Condorito reluctantly undressing after noticing a "No Smoking" signal, or accidents like a girl losing her swimsuit in a pool (Condorito offers to help find it by draining the pool) or in the sea (Condorito refuses to help her because moments ago he gave his shorts to another girl in the same predicament)
Fictional products
- The newspaper El Hocicón (The Snout, or The Big Mouth), which usually contains zany headlines or gags. Its motto is "Diario Pobre Pero Honrado" ("Poor, But Honest Paper"). Sometimes when the headline is very important a cover of El Hocicón may be accompanied by one from the rival paper, El Cholguán (motto: "Un Tabloide Firme y Veraz", A Firm and Truthful Tabloid. * "El Hocicón" is the most popular newspaper of Pelotillehue. Though the print building doesn’t appear too much, the newspaper itself is often the base of the jokes, using the news to start misunderstandings. Sometimes it informs comical situations, like "La policía arrestó al Cara de Angel" (“Police arrested Angel-Face”), showing a picture of an ugly and rude burglar.
- Soap Sussio (No Lava, Does not clean at all). Sounds like Sucio (dirty).
- Soap Popín (Con Olor A Calcetín, Smells like a sock). In popular culture Popín is a kiddy euphemism for the Butt.
- Pin soda, mentioned above.
- Very cheap and awful wine brands like: Santa Clota, Tres Tiritones (Three Shakers) and Sonrisa de León (Lion's smile).
- Cigarettes Montaña (logo is a poke on Marlboro) and Cofcof.
Parodies
Condorito has done many parodies of well-known characters. Generally these parodies have several pages dedicated to a story.- Prince ValiantPrince ValiantPrince Valiant in the Days of King Arthur, or simply Prince Valiant, is a long-run comic strip created by Hal Foster in 1937. It is an epic adventure that has told a continuous story during its entire history, and the full stretch of that story now totals more than 3700 Sunday strips...
("El Príncipe Violento",) Prince Violent. - BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
("Bati-Cóndor" or "Batarraco") - SupermanSupermanSuperman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
("Super Pajarraco") - TarzanTarzanTarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
("Condorzán") - NoahNoahNoah was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the tenth and last of the antediluvian Patriarchs. The biblical story of Noah is contained in chapters 6–9 of the book of Genesis, where he saves his family and representatives of all animals from the flood by constructing an ark...
("Condornoé") - Adam and EveAdam and EveAdam and Eve were, according to the Genesis creation narratives, the first human couple to inhabit Earth, created by YHWH, the God of the ancient Hebrews...
("CondorAdan and Yayieva") - Lone Ranger Condorito resembles the Lone Ranger and is questioned about his name, after thinking about it, he decides to kill TontoTontoTonto may mean:* Tonto, a band of Apache native Americans.* Tonto, the fictional sidekick to the Lone Ranger.* "Tonto", a song by the American math rock band Battles, from their album Mirrored.** "Tonto+", the EP centered around said song....
in order to keep his name. - LostLost (TV series)Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
("Plost") Condorito, Coné and other characters of the story resemble the crew of Lost. - Star WarsStar WarsStar Wars is an American epic space opera film series created by George Lucas. The first film in the series was originally released on May 25, 1977, under the title Star Wars, by 20th Century Fox, and became a worldwide pop culture phenomenon, followed by two sequels, released at three-year...
("Star Plafs") the cast of Condorito plays out the Star Wars drama - RamboRamboRambo is an action film series based on the David Morrell novel First Blood and starring Sylvester Stallone as John Rambo, a troubled Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who is skilled in many aspects of survival, weaponry, hand to hand combat and guerrilla warfare...
("Ramborito") - Shrek the ThirdShrek the ThirdShrek the Third is a 2007 American animated film, and the third film in the Shrek series. It was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg for DreamWorks Animation, and is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It was released in U.S. theaters on May 18, 2007...
("Condor-Truek") Condorito, Coné and other characters making reference to the film. - Transformers In the story, Maximus Prime is a parody of Optimus Prime, like Malatron is Megatron. Automaticons in the story possibly is Decepticons.
Origins
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
Company created the animated film Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos
Saludos Amigos is a 1942 animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the 6th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series. It is the first of six package films made by the Disney studio in the 1940s...
depicting Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
and a cast of anthropomorphic characters representing various nations of the Americas. In the film, while the Disney characters are represented as humorous versions of charro
Charro
Charro is a term referring to a traditional horseman from Mexico, originating in the central-western regions primarily in the state of Jalisco including: Zacatecas, Durango, Guanajuato, Morelos, Puebla...
s, gaucho
Gaucho
Gaucho is a term commonly used to describe residents of the South American pampas, chacos, or Patagonian grasslands, found principally in parts of Argentina, Uruguay, Southern Chile, and Southern Brazil...
s, etc., Chile was represented as Pedro, a small airplane engaged in his very first flight, whose attempt to fly over the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to pick up air mail from Mendoza
Mendoza, Argentina
Mendoza is the capital city of Mendoza Province, in Argentina. It is located in the northern-central part of the province, in a region of foothills and high plains, on the eastern side of the Andes. As of the , Mendoza's population was 110,993...
is humorously depicted. Pepo created Condorito in response to what he perceived as a slight to the image of Chile.
Condorito and politics
Condorito through the 1960s and 1970s held to a conservative perspective on Chile and its society, poking fun at both the new left-wing poets and the hippies. At the first age of the comic, the jokes usually have a very basic context and themes, like African people always represented as primitive cannibals, women as bad drivers or as a jealous wife waiting her husband coming back from a party, etc.After the military coup of 1973, some Chilean cartoonists were censored by the military regime, yet unlike other publications (such as the Argentinian Mafalda
Mafalda
Mafalda is a comic strip written and drawn by Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado, better known by his pen name Quino. The strip features a 6-year-old girl named Mafalda, who is deeply concerned about humanity and world peace and rebels against the current state of the world...
), which combined criticism of society with humor, Condorito, which lacked the former, continued to be published. Since that time, many Chilean comics with a political view on society (e.g. Hervi
Hervi
Hervi is a tourist village in the province of East Azarbaijan, near Tabriz, Iran. Its fame is due to its pleasurable climate & amazing nature...
's Super Cifuentes) have been forgotten. Condorito remains the best-known Chilean comic book character.