Monica's Gang
Encyclopedia
Monica's Gang is a popular Brazil
ian comic book
series. The series was created by Mauricio de Sousa
, who signs his work as "Mauricio". Plots are centered on the adventures of a group of seven-year-old friends in the fictional neighborhood of "Limoeiro" in São Paulo
. The neighborhood was inspired by the neighborhood of Cambuí, in Campinas
and the city of Mogi das Cruzes
, where de Sousa lived his childhood.
, the newspaper where Mauricio worked as police reporter. Cebolinha followed in 1960. The character Mônica first saw the light of day in 1963. Comic books featuring the characters started appearing: "Bidu" (1960 - cancelled after a few editions),Mônica (1970), Cebolinha (1972), and many more. The stories have been translated to several languages and sold in dozens of countries. The series has been running steadily for over forty years, and generated uncountable spin-off
s in the realms of merchandising, animated cartoons, video games, theme parks, and more. Mauricio employs a large staff on his company Estúdios Mauricio de Sousa to execute these projects.
The characters are drawn in a simple cartoon style and the stories often finish with a happy ending. In the end of each comic book, there are three panels with a quick joke, such as newspaper strips. Compared with the Peanuts
characters, Monica's gang is less reflective and a bit more fantastic, less psychological and more active.
Characters often break the fourth wall
, acknowledging they are performing or even talking to the writers from inside the papersheet. In some stories, they go "behind the sets", as if they were filming a TV show or a movie. The main characters also make fun of other characters for being secondaries (Sunny, a yellow-haired boy is the one that is most mocked for being a secondary character). Another is a recently returned character called Manezinho (diminutive form of "Manuel" in Brazilian Portuguese), who is referred by Smudge
as "the new secondary character".
Also, to avoid any copyright problems, when referring to any person, company or band, Mauricio writes something that sounds similar, resulting in word plays, mostly puns and phonetic transcription of foreign terms. Examples: Coca-Cola
= Tota-Toia; Michael Jackson
= Maicou Jeca; Titãs
= Tantãs; Banda Calypso
= Apocalypso; Star Wars
= Tauó; and so on.
Nowadays the comics are sold in 40 countries in 14 languages.
(Chico Bento), which actually came in the same year (1963) as Monica itself, has a separate comic book, but once in a while there are stories from one into another book.
Quoting the official website, about Chuck Billy:
from Monday to Friday, 6:00 AM and 8:30 AM. The series has 85 episodes, consisting of shorts originally from the feature films and direct-to-video productions.
consoles, consisting of romhacks of Wonder Boy
games, with translated text and sprites replaced with characters from the comic.
In the 1990s, MSP released three CD-ROMs with short stories complemented by minigames: Mônica Dentuça (1995), Cebolinha e Floquinho (1996) e A Roça do Chico Bento (1998). Two CDs for creating comic books with both Monica and Chuck Billy were also released.
On September 2010, in a conference about Tec Toy's videogame console Zeebo
, Mônica de Sousa, Mauricio's daughter, announced the studio had partnered with Tec Toy to release eight Monica's Gang games for the platform, starting with Turma da Mônica - Vamos Brincar Nº1, which has no release date.
themed with Mauricio de Souza's characters, located at the Eldorado Shopping in São Paulo. It was opened in January 1993, and features a number of attractions, like the "Carrossel do Horácio" (Horacio's merry-go-round, a carousel
featuring dinosaurs instead of horses), the 3-D cinema, and many more. The Parque da Mônica of Curitiba
and of Rio de Janeiro
were also created, in 1998 and 2001, respectively, but both were closed, in 2000 and 2005, respectively. Until the end of 2006, it had its own comic book, featuring adventures of Monica's gang at the park. When Panini Comics started to publish Mauricio's works, this magazine was replaced by Turma da Mônica.
The park was removed from ElDorado Shopping Center on early 2010, when the space occupied by it was asked back by the shopping administrators. Mauricio de Sousa had already announced that the shopping had requested the area back on July 2009. The administration of the Shopping says that the place is seeking more up to date alternatives, which fall under the consumers expectation.
, from 1970 to 1986, then Editora Globo
, from 1987 to 2006. From 2007 on, Panini Comics
was chosen to keep the publications.
.
It features mainly adventures at the Parque da Mônica, which were formerly published at the defunct “Revista Parque da Mônica”.
Adventures of Ronaldinho Gaúcho, interacting or not with the rest of the gang.
s) bring republications of the best stories.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
series. The series was created by Mauricio de Sousa
Mauricio de Sousa
Mauricio de Sousa is a Brazilian cartoonist who has created over 200 characters for his popular series of children's comic books....
, who signs his work as "Mauricio". Plots are centered on the adventures of a group of seven-year-old friends in the fictional neighborhood of "Limoeiro" in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
. The neighborhood was inspired by the neighborhood of Cambuí, in Campinas
Campinas
Campinas is a city and municipality located in the coastal interior of the state of São Paulo, Brazil. is the administrative center of the meso-region of the same name, with 3,783,597 inhabitants as of the 2010 Census, consisting of 49 cities....
and the city of Mogi das Cruzes
Mogi das Cruzes
Mogi das Cruzes is a municipality in the state of São Paulo metropolitan region of the state capital. The population in 2010 according to the Census population is 387,241 inhabitants, resulting in a population density of 533.90 inhabitants per km ²....
, where de Sousa lived his childhood.
Publication history
Mauricio began his comic universe in 1959 with a newspaper comic strip titled Bidu, printed on Folha da ManhãFolha da Manhã
Empresa Folha da Manhã S/A is a Brazilian holding that controls the newspapers Folha de S. Paulo and Agora, and it is subordinated to Grupo Folha. Its main stockholder was Octavio Frias de Oliveira from 1962 to 2008, when he died. His two sons, Luiz and Otavio are now the president and editor of...
, the newspaper where Mauricio worked as police reporter. Cebolinha followed in 1960. The character Mônica first saw the light of day in 1963. Comic books featuring the characters started appearing: "Bidu" (1960 - cancelled after a few editions),Mônica (1970), Cebolinha (1972), and many more. The stories have been translated to several languages and sold in dozens of countries. The series has been running steadily for over forty years, and generated uncountable spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s in the realms of merchandising, animated cartoons, video games, theme parks, and more. Mauricio employs a large staff on his company Estúdios Mauricio de Sousa to execute these projects.
The characters are drawn in a simple cartoon style and the stories often finish with a happy ending. In the end of each comic book, there are three panels with a quick joke, such as newspaper strips. Compared with the Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
characters, Monica's gang is less reflective and a bit more fantastic, less psychological and more active.
Characters often break the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
, acknowledging they are performing or even talking to the writers from inside the papersheet. In some stories, they go "behind the sets", as if they were filming a TV show or a movie. The main characters also make fun of other characters for being secondaries (Sunny, a yellow-haired boy is the one that is most mocked for being a secondary character). Another is a recently returned character called Manezinho (diminutive form of "Manuel" in Brazilian Portuguese), who is referred by Smudge
Smudge (Monica's Gang)
Smudge is one of the main characters of Monica's Gang. He was created in 1961, and since 1982, has his own printed comics appearing weekly on the newsagents....
as "the new secondary character".
Also, to avoid any copyright problems, when referring to any person, company or band, Mauricio writes something that sounds similar, resulting in word plays, mostly puns and phonetic transcription of foreign terms. Examples: Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola is a carbonated soft drink sold in stores, restaurants, and vending machines in more than 200 countries. It is produced by The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta, Georgia, and is often referred to simply as Coke...
= Tota-Toia; Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
= Maicou Jeca; Titãs
Titãs
Titãs are a rock band from São Paulo, Brazil. Their best-known line up is the one in the album Cabeça Dinossauro : Nando Reis , Branco Mello , Marcelo Fromer , Arnaldo Antunes , Tony Bellotto , Paulo Miklos , Charles Gavin and Sérgio Britto...
= Tantãs; Banda Calypso
Banda Calypso
Banda Calypso is a Brazilian musical duo, especially popular in Northern and Northeastern regions of the country. It was formed in the late 1990s by guitarist and producer Chimbinha and his singer/dancer wife Joelma....
= Apocalypso; Star Wars
Star Wars
Star 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...
= Tauó; and so on.
Nowadays the comics are sold in 40 countries in 14 languages.
Main characters
The four main characters of Monica's Gang are:- Monica (Mônica)
- Jimmy Five (Cebolinha)
- Smudge (Cascão)
- Maggy (Magali)
Minor characters
- Angel (Anjinho) – As the name suggests, he is the guardian angelGuardian angelA guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
of Monica’s Gang. From the clouds high up above (presumably heavenHeavenHeaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
), he will listen to any scream for help, and will descend to save the day, just like a superhero. He also works like an advice-giver to the gang. The problem is that is impossible to him to protect all the kids from the confusions they always get involved in. Sometimes he eventually gets himself involved in these confusions. His most recurring gag is the many different ways that the gang will use to call him down (most usually Monica), which often gets Angel injured or scared. - Bloguinho (literally Little Blog) – This recently introduced character is a bright, smart child. His speech balloons are written with internet slangInternet slangInternet slang is a type of slang that Internet users have popularized, and in many cases, have coined. Such terms often originate with the purpose of saving keystrokes. Many people use the same abbreviations in texting and instant messaging, and social networking websites...
s and emoticons, and he is addicted to computer and chatting on the net. Because of this, he was introduced as Teveluisão's little brother. In addition, his hair is a simple "@". - Blu (Bidu)
- Bucky (Titi) – Bucky is as toothy as MonicaMonica (Monica's Gang)Monica is the main character of Monica's Gang comic strips. She was created in 1963, and is a bright girl with powerful strength, which she uses to beat up boys who tease her. She is known by the other characters as the "owner of the street" . She is always carrying her blue rabbit toy called Samson...
, but his friends hardly make fun of that. Bucky dates Isabel, but hangs around with any girls he sees, just like Curly. He sometimes ends up alone and hated by his ex-girlfriends, because he dates so many girls that it becomes impossible for him to hide one from the others. - Doreen (Dorinha) – Another recently introduced character, a blindBlindnessBlindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
girl. As she is blind since birth, she doesn't know the shape of things, so she often just imagines. Her remaining senses are very precise, though.- Radar – Doreen's guide dogGuide dogGuide dogs are assistance dogs trained to lead blind and visually impaired people around obstacles.Although the dogs can be trained to navigate various obstacles, they are partially color blind and are not capable of interpreting street signs...
, Radar is very loyal to his owner. He is a LabradorLabrador RetrieverThe Labrador Retriever is one of several kinds of retriever, a type of gun dog. A breed characteristic is webbed paws for swimming, useful for the breed's original purpose of retrieving fishing nets. The Labrador is the most popular breed of dog by registered ownership in Canada, the United...
.
- Radar – Doreen's guide dog
- Dustine (Cascuda) – Smudge's girlfriend. Although she was created only to be Smudge's lover, he sometimes chases other girls. Unlike Smudge, she does take the odd shower, (much to Smudge's despair) just not often.
- Franklin(Franjinha)- The brainy one of the group, this budding young scientist and inventor concocts all sorts of things in his home laboratory, not always with success. He's in love with Marina, and later wins her hear in the offshoot series Monica TeenMonica TeenMonica Teen is a Brazilian comic created in 2008 by Mauricio de Sousa and spouse Alice Keiko Takeda. The series features Monica's Gang and all their 15-year-old friends.- History :...
. Blu is his pet. - Hummer (Humberto) – Hummer suffers from mutenessMutenessMuteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
, so all he can do to communicate is to murmur “hmm-hmm”. In some strips, it is stated that he is also deaf, and that he reads people’s lipsLip readingLip reading, also known as lipreading or speechreading, is a technique of understanding speech by visually interpreting the movements of the lips, face and tongue with information provided by the context, language, and any residual hearing....
to understand what they are saying. - Isabel (Aninha) – Bucky’s main girlfriend. She sometimes discovers his many betrayals, but in the end, she forgives her non-loyal boyfriend. She is very jealous of him, but Bucky still manages to date other girls while Isabel’s not watching over him.
- Jeremiah (Jeremias) – One of Bucky’s best friends, and one of Mauricio's few Afro-BrazilianAfro-BrazilianIn Brazil, the term "preto" is one of the five categories used by the Brazilian Census, along with "branco" , "pardo" , "amarelo" and "indígena"...
characters. At first, he was drawn in a strong black color, but nowadays, his color is a softer brown. - Junior (Dudu) - One of those little kids who’s fussy about food and almost never wants to eat what’s put on the table. He and Maggy make perfect pals because she always helps him finish eating the food his mom makes for him with such dedication.
- Lord Big Rabbit (Lorde Coelhão) – One of the gang’s most famous (and harmless) enemies. First appeared on the movie A Princesa e o Robô (The Princess and the Robot). He is based on Darth VaderDarth VaderDarth Vader is a central character in the Star Wars saga, appearing as one of the main antagonists in the original trilogy and as the main protagonist in the prequel trilogy....
, and hails from the planet Cenourando (a joke with the Portuguese word for carrot, "cenoura"). He commands a great army of "coelhoides" (a portmanteau from the Portuguese words "Coelho" (rabbit) and "Androide" (Android). His main assistant is "Zoiudo" (a Brazilian slang for "big-eyed"), a flying being who does nothing but repeat the orders given by his master. But he’s also a good spy. - Luca – Also called "Da Roda" (of the wheel, due to his wheel chair), this recently introduced character is paralytic. He is very active, though. He plays basketballBasketballBasketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and performs tricks on his chair, just like a skateboarder. The girls find him a very cute boy, especially Monica (much to JimmyJimmy FiveJimmy Five is one of Monica's Gang main characters. He was created in 1960, and currently has his own printed comic strips, called Cebolinha, which were first released in 1973...
's annoyance). - Marina – One of the few characters whose English and Portuguese names are equal. She was based on one of Mauricio daughters, also called Marina. Both Marinas are addicted to painting and drawing. Marina caught Franklin’s eyes, who fell in love with her. Still, she’s not interested in dating him nor anyone else (although she does so in the offshoot series Monica TeenMonica TeenMonica Teen is a Brazilian comic created in 2008 by Mauricio de Sousa and spouse Alice Keiko Takeda. The series features Monica's Gang and all their 15-year-old friends.- History :...
). - Nick Nope (Do Contra) – "Agreed", "equal" and its derivates are words missing in Nick’s vocabulary. He likes to do everything his way, or in other words, in reverse of the normal way. He likes to eat strange foods, like salty ice creams, rice with pieces of water melon, and anything that may show up in his mind. He is Nimbus' brother. Like Marina, he is based on one of Mauricio’s sons (also called Mauricio).
- Nimbus – Another of Mauricio’s few characters whose name remains the same in both Portuguese and English versions. He is very interested in meteorologyMeteorologyMeteorology is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 18th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries...
, and fears thunderThunderThunder is the sound made by lightning. Depending on the nature of the lightning and distance of the listener, thunder can range from a sharp, loud crack to a long, low rumble . The sudden increase in pressure and temperature from lightning produces rapid expansion of the air surrounding and within...
s and storms, just like SmudgeSmudgeSmudge is an Australian rock band. Its frontman Tom Morgan is better known outside Australia as a songwriting collaborator of Evan Dando and his band The Lemonheads.-History:...
. The only difference is that he still likes water. He is also a magician, and all girls find him cute. He is Nick Nope's brother. Like Marina and Nick Nope, he was also based on one of Mauricio’s sons (Mauro). . - Ronaldinho Gaúcho
- Mr. Juca (Seu Juca) – This character appears doing a different job every strip. He changes jobs so frequently because Monica and her friends always try to help him with his work, but Juca tries to stop them, and this generates a great confusion, which always leads to Juca’s loss of his job, and also to his insanity, so that his second home is the psychiatric hospital.
- Keika The femaleFemaleFemale is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces non-mobile ova .- Defining characteristics :The ova are defined as the larger gametes in a heterogamous reproduction system, while the smaller, usually motile gamete, the spermatozoon, is produced by the male...
Japanese Brazilian character in the comics. She entered in the comics with her brother Tikara, in May 2008's Monica comic as the commemorative mascot for the 100 year aniversary of JapaneseJapanese peopleThe are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
immigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
to BrazilBrazilBrazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. - Professor Spada/Doctor Spam (Professor Spada (an Italian-descent surname meaning swordSwordA sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
)/Doutor Spam) – The newest enemy of Monica's gang, he is the only character who owns two double personalities. When Professor Spada, he is a gentle, happy computer technician. But if eventually he is hit by a short circuitShort circuitA short circuit in an electrical circuit that allows a current to travel along an unintended path, often where essentially no electrical impedance is encountered....
, he becomes the evil Doctor Spam, who can travel through the internet, which means he can be in any part of the globe in within some seconds, to disseminate computer viruses. - Specs (Zé Luís) – The oldest of the gang. When Monica first appeared, she was said to be his little sister, but as she gained more notability among the gang, she earned her own family. Specs likes reading and studying, but also finds time to hang with his friends and girls.
- Sunny (Xaveco) – The main characteristic of this boy is not having any characteristic, at all. He is always referred to as “the secondary character”, and the main characters always make fun of his apparent “uselessness”. He constantly attempts to "elevate" his rank to that of a main character, a trait which he transfers to his teen vervion in the offshoot series Monica TeenMonica TeenMonica Teen is a Brazilian comic created in 2008 by Mauricio de Sousa and spouse Alice Keiko Takeda. The series features Monica's Gang and all their 15-year-old friends.- History :...
. He is also the only of the gang to have divorced parents. - Teveluisão (a portmanteau of the Portuguese words "Televisão" (Television), "Luís", and "Luisão" (Big Luís)) – As his name suggests, he is addicted to television, and spends all day in front of it. His friend Specs always tells him that this is not healthy, and forces him to the outdoors. He is Bloguinho’s older brother.
- Tikara (Brazilian way of saying "Chikara" (力), JapaneseJapanese languageis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
word that means power, strength) - This Japanese Brazilian character was created by Mauricio to be the mascot of the "Comemoração do Centenário da Imigração Japonesa no Brasil" (Celebration of the Centenary of the Japanese immigration to Brazil). He is expected to appear at Monica's strips in May and June 2008. - Toddy (Quinzinho) - He's from Portugal, son of the owner of a local bakery. He's in love with MaggyMaggy (Monica's Gang)Maggy , is a character of the popular Brazilian comic book series Monica's Gang. She was created by Mauricio de Sousa, who based the character on one of his daughters, Magali. Monica, Mary Angela and Marina were also based on Mauricio's daughters...
, and makes everything for her: bread, cake and other food, even though she eats everything without paying.
Related works
Most other works made by Sousa are related to Monica's Gang. They are usually separated stories at all from Monica's gang, but sometimes some cross-overs are presented. Just Chuck BillyChuck Billy (cartoon)
Chuck Billy is the main character from Chuck Billy 'n' Folks, created by Brazilian cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa...
(Chico Bento), which actually came in the same year (1963) as Monica itself, has a separate comic book, but once in a while there are stories from one into another book.
Quoting the official website, about Chuck Billy:
- Silly country bumpkins who are comical yet so very wise in their ways. They'll love you; you'll love them. In Chuck Billy's world - a small country village complete with church square, bandshell and schoolhouse surrounded by farmland and rolling countryside - everybody knows everybody and life is full of wit and creativity.
- Chuck Billy 'n' FolksChuck Billy 'n' FolksChuck Billy 'n' Folks are a group of fictional characters appearing at the Monica's Gang comic book series. The stories are centered on Chuck Billy and his friends and parents, who are all caipiras and live in the small Vila Abobrinha , a fictional location on the countryside of Brazil...
- Horacio's WorldHoracio's WorldHoracio's World is a set of fictional characters featured on the Monica's Gang comic strips. The main character is Horácio, a baby Tyrannosaurus rex. Other minor characters appear occasionally, but Horacio's strips are mostly consisted of monologues and self-reflections , thus making him...
- Bug-a-BoooBug-a-BoooBug-a-Booo is a set of fictional Brazilian characters featured at the Monica's Gang comic strips. The main location for their stories is a cemetery. All of the characters are monsters or other supernatural creatures, none of them being a human being...
- The Cavern ClanThe Cavern ClanThe Cavern Clan is a set of fictional characters created by Mauricio de Sousa and featured at the Monica's Gang comic strips. The Cavern Clan lives in the Stone Age, but their strips always features dinosaurs, which is anachronistic, as the dinosaurs were extinguished 65 million years ago...
- Tina's PalsTina's PalsTina’s Pals is a set of teenager characters featured at the Monica's Gang comic strips. Their stories are aimed for a more teenager group of readers, rather than the kids who would read other Mauricio de Sousa's works. However, Mauricio prefers not to mention drugs, sex, alcoholic drinks, or other...
- The TribeThe Tribe (Monica's Gang)The Tribe is a set of fictional characters appearing in the Monica's Gang comic strips. All characters belong to an indigenous people from the Amazon . Their tribe was once named "Tribo do Rio" ...
- The FunniesThe Funnies (Monica's Gang)The Funnies is a set of fictional characters created in 1963 and appearing at the Monica's Gang comic strips. Almost all strips feature only the main character, Bubbly, while his parents and his ex-girlfriend Rita appear very rarely...
- Lionel's KingdomLionel's KingdomLionel's Kingdom is a set of fictional characters created in the 1960s-70s and appearing at the Monica's Gang comic strips. All characters are animals, with the contact with human beings hardly happening...
Films
- Mônica e Cebolinha – No Mundo de Romeu e Julieta (1979, live-action, made-for-tv) - (Monica and Jimmy Five: In the World of Romeo & Juliet)
- As Aventuras da Turma da Mônica (1982) - (The Adventures of Monica's Gang)
- A Princesa e o Robô (1983) - (The Princess and the Robot)
- As Novas Aventuras da Turma da Mônica (1986) - (The New Adventures of Monica's Gang)
- Mônica e a Sereia do Rio (1986) - (Monica and the River Mermaid)
- O Bicho-Papão (1987) - (The Boogeyman)
- A Estrelinha Mágica (1988) - (The Magic Star)
- A Rádio do Chico Bento (1989, live-action, direct-to-video) (The Chuck Billy Radio Station)
- Chico Bento, Óia a Onça! (1990) - (Chuck Billy, Watch Out for the Jaguar!)
- Videogibi: O Mônico (1997, direct-to-video) - (The He-Monica)
- Videogibi: O Plano Sangrento (1997, direct-to-video) - (The Bloody Plan)
- Videogibi: O Estranho Soro do Dr. X (1998, direct-to-video) - (VideoComic: Dr. X's Strange Serum)
- Cine Gibi - O Filme (2004) - MovieComic: The Movie)
- Cine Gibi 2 (2005, direct-to-video) - MovieComic 2)
- Uma Aventura no TempoUma Aventura no TempoUma Aventura no Tempo is a 2007 Brazilian animated film based on the Monica's Gang comic books. The film was directed and co-written by Mauricio de Sousa, creator of over two hundred characters featured in the comic books.-Plot:The film begins with Franklin finishing up of his time travel machine...
(2007) - (An Adventure in Time) - Cine Gibi 3: Planos Infalíveis (2008, direct-to-video) - (Movie Comic 3: Infallible Plans)
- Cine Gibi 4: Meninos e Meninas (2009, direct-to-video) - (MovieComic 4: Boys and Girls)
- Cine Gibi 5: Luzes, Cêmara, Ação! (2010, direct-to-video) - (MovieComic 5: Lights, Camera, Action!)
Cartoon
Animated cartoons are broadcasted on Brazilian Cartoon Network on Sunday, at 9:30 AM;from Monday to Friday, 6:00 AM and 8:30 AM. The series has 85 episodes, consisting of shorts originally from the feature films and direct-to-video productions.
Video games
In the 1990s, three Monica video games were released by Tectoy for SegaSega
, usually styled as SEGA, is a multinational video game software developer and an arcade software and hardware development company headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan, with various offices around the world...
consoles, consisting of romhacks of Wonder Boy
Wonder Boy
is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in...
games, with translated text and sprites replaced with characters from the comic.
| Console | Original Wonder Boy Wonder Boy is a series of video games published by SEGA and developed by Westone Bit Entertainment .The series itself consists of the main Wonder Boy series, and the Monster World sub-series. Games may be part of one, the other, or both. This has resulted in a sometimes confusing naming structure resulting in... game |
Original release | Monica's Gang version | Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master System | Wonder Boy in Monster Land Wonder Boy in Monster Land Wonder Boy in Monster Land is an action role-playing platform video game developed by Westone. It was released by Sega for the arcades in 1987 and for the Sega Master System in 1988; Activision released the game for the Amiga, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, ZX Spectrum, and Atari ST... |
1987 | Mônica no Castelo do Dragão | 1991 |
| Master System | Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap Wonder Boy III: The Dragon's Trap is a platforming and action-adventure video game developed by Westone. It was published by Sega and released for the Sega Master System in 1989 and for the Game Gear in 1992 under the title Monster World II: Dragon no Wana... |
1989 | Turma da Mônica em O Resgate | 1993 |
| Mega Drive | Wonder Boy in Monster World | 1991 | Turma da Mônica na Terra dos Monstros | 1994 |
In the 1990s, MSP released three CD-ROMs with short stories complemented by minigames: Mônica Dentuça (1995), Cebolinha e Floquinho (1996) e A Roça do Chico Bento (1998). Two CDs for creating comic books with both Monica and Chuck Billy were also released.
On September 2010, in a conference about Tec Toy's videogame console Zeebo
Zeebo
Zeebo is a 3G-enabled entertainment and education system from Zeebo Inc. It not only enables users to play video games, but also connect to the Internet, communicate online and run educational applications. The Zeebo is targeted at developing markets such as BRIC and Mexico. Zeebo Inc...
, Mônica de Sousa, Mauricio's daughter, announced the studio had partnered with Tec Toy to release eight Monica's Gang games for the platform, starting with Turma da Mônica - Vamos Brincar Nº1, which has no release date.
Mônica Park
An amusement parkAmusement park
thumb|Cinderella Castle in [[Magic Kingdom]], [[Disney World]]Amusement and theme parks are terms for a group of entertainment attractions and rides and other events in a location for the enjoyment of large numbers of people...
themed with Mauricio de Souza's characters, located at the Eldorado Shopping in São Paulo. It was opened in January 1993, and features a number of attractions, like the "Carrossel do Horácio" (Horacio's merry-go-round, a carousel
Carousel
A carousel , or merry-go-round, is an amusement ride consisting of a rotating circular platform with seats for riders...
featuring dinosaurs instead of horses), the 3-D cinema, and many more. The Parque da Mônica of Curitiba
Curitiba
Curitiba is the capital of the Brazilian state of Paraná. It is the largest city with the biggest economy of both Paraná and southern Brazil. The population of Curitiba numbers approximately 1.75 million people and the latest GDP figures for the city surpass US$61 billion according to...
and of Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
were also created, in 1998 and 2001, respectively, but both were closed, in 2000 and 2005, respectively. Until the end of 2006, it had its own comic book, featuring adventures of Monica's gang at the park. When Panini Comics started to publish Mauricio's works, this magazine was replaced by Turma da Mônica.
The park was removed from ElDorado Shopping Center on early 2010, when the space occupied by it was asked back by the shopping administrators. Mauricio de Sousa had already announced that the shopping had requested the area back on July 2009. The administration of the Shopping says that the place is seeking more up to date alternatives, which fall under the consumers expectation.
Publications
Monica’s Gang and its related works are released in a number of different books. Firstly, they were published by Editora AbrilEditora Abril
Editora Abril is a major Brazilian publisher and printing company and one of the biggest media holdings in Southern America. The company was founded in 1950 by Victor Civita in São Paulo and is now part of Grupo Abril....
, from 1970 to 1986, then Editora Globo
Editora Globo
The Editora Globo is a respected Brazilian publishing house, property of Fundação Roberto Marinho. It began as a bookstore called Livraria do Globo, created in Porto Alegre, in December 1883, by Laudelino Pinheiro de Barcellos and Saturnino Alves Pinto.-History:The bookstore "Livraria do Globo"...
, from 1987 to 2006. From 2007 on, Panini Comics
Panini Comics
Panini Comics is an Italian comic book publisher. A division of Panini Group, best known for their collectible stickers, it is headquartered in Modena, Italy...
was chosen to keep the publications.
Comic books (released monthly)
Monica's Gang titles are usually published in digest sizeDigest size
Digest size is a magazine size, smaller than a conventional or "journal size" magazine but larger than a standard paperback book, approximately 5½ x 8¼ inches, but can also be 5⅜ x 8⅜ inches and 5½ x 7½ inches. These sizes have evolved from the printing press operation end...
.
- Mônica
- Ed. Abril (1970–1986): 1-200
- Ed. Globo (1987–2006): 1-246
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Cebolinha
- Ed. Abril (1973–1986): 1-168
- Ed. Globo (1987–2006): 1-246
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Cascão
- Ed. Abril (1982–1986): 1-114
- Ed. Globo (1987–2006): 1-467
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Chico Bento
- Ed. Abril (1982–1986): 1-114
- Ed. Globo (1987–2006): 1-467
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Magali
- Ed. Globo (1989–2006): 1-403
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Turma da Mônica
It features mainly adventures at the Parque da Mônica, which were formerly published at the defunct “Revista Parque da Mônica”.
-
- Ed. Globo (1993–2006): 1-168 (as "Revista Parque da Mônica")
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
- Ronaldinho Gaúcho
Adventures of Ronaldinho Gaúcho, interacting or not with the rest of the gang.
-
- Ed. Globo (2006): 1-3
- Ed. Panini (2007-): 1-
Almanacs
The "Almanaques da Turma da Mônica" (Monica's Gang AlmanacAlmanac
An almanac is an annual publication that includes information such as weather forecasts, farmers' planting dates, and tide tables, containing tabular information in a particular field or fields often arranged according to the calendar etc...
s) bring republications of the best stories.
Bi-monthly publications
- Almanaque da Mônica (Monica's Almanac)
- Almanaque do Cebolinha (Jimmy Five's Almanac)
- Almanaque do Cascão (Smudge's Almanac)
- Almanaque do Chico Bento (Chuck Billy's Almanac)
- Almanaque da Magali (Maggy's Almanac)
Quarterly publications
- Almanaque Temático (Thematic Almanac, with several stories featuring several different characters, but with the same theme, formerly named "Coleção Um Tema Só" (One Single Theme Collection))
Biannual publications
- Almanaque Turma do Penadinho (Bug-a-Booo's Almanac)
- Almanaque Turma da Tina (Tina's Pals' Almanac)
- Almanaque Turma do Astronauta (The Funnies' Almanac)
- Grande Almanaque de Férias (Great Holidays Almanac, released during Brazil school holidays, former "Almanacão de Férias" (Holidays' Big Almanac))
- Grande Almanaque Turma da Mônica (Great Monica's Gang Almanac, a big-sized Almanac, former "Almanacão Turma da Mônica" (Monica's Gang Big Almanac))
- Almanaque Historinhas de Uma Página (Single-page strories Almanac, featuring only stories that occupies only one page at a comic book)
- Clássicos do Cinema Turma da Mônica (Monica's Gang Classics of the Cinema): parodies of movies, with republications of the Gibizão stories and sequels of them, as well as original stories ("Cascão Porker", an adaptation of the firstHarry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States and India as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy film directed by Chris Columbus and based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. The film is the first instalment in the Harry Potter film series,...
Harry PotterHarry PotterHarry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
film).
Annual publications
- Mônica Especial de Natal (Mônica’s Christmas Special, featuring ChristmasChristmasChristmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
-related strories only, former "Mônica Edição Especial de Natal" (Monica’s Special Christmas Edition))
Defunct publications
- Pelezinho
- Editora Abril (1977–1982): 1-60
- Almanaque do Pelezinho (Pelezinho’s Almanac)
- Editora Abril (1977–1986)
- As melhores piadas (The Best Jokes)
- Editora Abril (1976–1978)(1986)
- Tiras Especial
- Editora Abril (1974–1975)
- Bidu (Blu)
- Editora Continental (1960)
- Gibizinho da Mônica (Monica’s Little Comic, pocketPaperbackPaperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
comic bookComic bookA comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
)- Editora Globo (1991–1998): 1-84
- Almanaque do Gibizinho (Little Comic’s Almanac)
- Editora Globo (1997–2001): 1-46 ; 2ª série: (2003–2006): 1-40
Gibizão
This huge-sized comic book (even bigger than the Almanacão) by Editora Globo had only nine editions.- Batmenino Eternamente (Batboy Forever)- parody of Batman ForeverBatman ForeverBatman Forever is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton. Based on the DC Comics character Batman, the film is a sequel to Batman Returns , with Val Kilmer replacing Michael Keaton as Batman...
, with Jimmy Five as 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...
, Smudge as RobinRobin (comics)Robin is the name of several fictional characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics, originally created by Bob Kane, Bill Finger and Jerry Robinson, as a junior counterpart to DC Comics superhero Batman...
, Bucky as AlfredAlfred PennyworthAlfred Pennyworth is a fictional character that appears throughout the DC Comics franchise. The character first appears in Batman #16 , and was created by writer Bob Kane and artist Jerry Robinson. Alfred serves as Batman’s tireless butler, assistant, confidant, and surrogate father figure...
and Monica playing Dr. Chase Meridian. The villains are "Frankler" (Franklin as RiddlerRiddlerThe Riddler is a fictional character, a comic book character and supervillain published by DC Comics, and an enemy of Batman. Created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, the character first appeared in Detective Comics #140 ....
) and "Nimbus Nope" (a version of Two-FaceTwo-FaceTwo-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
where Nimbus and Nick Nope are fused together). - Horacic Park - parody of Jurassic ParkJurassic Park (film)Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
. The sequels were later spoofed in the "Clássicos do Cinema": O Imundo Perdido: Horacic Park (The Lost World: Jurassic ParkThe Lost World: Jurassic ParkThe Lost World: Jurassic Park is a 1997 science fiction thriller film, directed by Steven Spielberg. The film was produced by Bonnie Curtis, Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen and Colin Wilson...
; the title is a pun turning mundo, "world", into Imundo, "dirty") and Horacic Park III (Jurassic Park IIIJurassic Park IIIJurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction film and the third of the Jurassic Park franchise. It is the only film in the series that is neither directed by Steven Spielberg nor based on a book by Michael Crichton, though numerous scenes in the movie were taken from Crichton's two books,...
). - Os Doze Trabalhos da Mônica (The Twelve Labors of Monica) – Parody of the Labors of Hercules, slightly modified (for example, the Erymanthian BoarErymanthian BoarIn Greek mythology, the Erymanthian Boar is remembered in connection with The Twelve Labours, in which Heracles, the enemy of Hera, visited in turn "all the other sites of the Goddess throughout the world, to conquer every conceivable 'monster' of nature and rededicate the primordial world to its...
becomes Thunder). - Romeu e Julieta (Romeo & Juliet) – adaptation of a movie of the gang. It transforms the William ShakespeareWilliam ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's story, providing a less tragic end to "Romeo Montague Five" and "Juliet Monicapulet". - Comandante Gancho (Captain Hook) – parody of HookHook (film)Hook is a 1991 American fantasy film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Robin Williams, Dustin Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Bob Hoskins, and features Maggie Smith, Caroline Goodall, Charlie Korsmo, Amber Scott, and Dante Basco. Hook acts as a sequel to Peter Pan's original adventures, focusing...
. - Mônica e os Bárbaros (Monica and the Barbarians) - republication. Monica travels on a time machine created by Franklin and helps a warrior on a fictional Hyborian AgeHyborian AgeThe Hyborian Age is a fictional period within the artificial mythology created by Robert E. Howard, in which the sword and sorcery tales of Conan the Barbarian are set....
land, with elements of Conan the BarbarianConan the BarbarianConan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
. - Superparque (Superpark) – Some superheroes are on vacation and go to the Parque da Mônica.
- Coelhada nas Estrelas (Star Warp) - parody of Star Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
. The rest of the original 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...
trilogy was spoofed in the "Clássicos do Cinema" line, with the sequels O Feio Contra Ataca ("The Ugly Strikes Back", parody of The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes BackStar Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back is a 1980 American epic space opera film directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay, based on a story by George Lucas, was written by Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan...
) and O Retorno de Jedito ("Return of the Jedito", parody of Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the JediStar Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is a 1983 American epic space opera film directed by Richard Marquand and written by George Lucas and Lawrence Kasdan. It is the third film released in the Star Wars saga, and the sixth in terms of the series' internal chronology...
). - A Volta ao mundo em 80 Garfadas (Around the World in Eighty Meals) – Parody of Around the World in Eighty DaysAround the World in Eighty DaysAround the World in Eighty Days is a classic adventure novel by the French writer Jules Verne, first published in 1873. In the story, Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed French valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager set by his friends at the...
.