Antonio Prohías facts for kids

Antonio Prohías (born January 17, 1921 – died February 24, 1998) was a famous cartoonist from Cuba and the United States. He is best known for creating the funny and clever comic strip Spy vs. Spy. This popular comic was featured in Mad magazine for many years, from 1961 to 1987.

Antonio Prohías's Life Story

Early Life and Career in Cuba

In 1946, Antonio Prohías was given a special award called the Juan Gualberto Gómez award. This award recognized him as the top cartoonist in Cuba. By the late 1940s, he started working at El Mundo, which was the most important newspaper in Cuba at that time.

In January 1959, Prohías was the president of the Cuban Cartoonists Association. After Fidel Castro took power, Castro actually praised Prohías for his cartoons that were against the previous leader, Fulgencio Batista.

Leaving Cuba and Joining Mad Magazine

However, Prohías soon became unhappy with Castro's government. He felt they were stopping people from speaking freely, especially in the news. When he drew cartoons about this, Castro's government accused him of working for the CIA. Because of this, he quit his job at the newspaper in February 1959.

With his career in Cuba uncertain, Prohías moved to New York City on May 1, 1960. He worked in a clothing factory during the day. At night, he worked hard to create new cartoons for Mad magazine.

Just ten weeks later, he bravely walked into the Mad offices without an appointment. He didn't speak English, so his daughter Marta helped him by translating. Before he left that day, he had sold his first three Spy vs. Spy cartoons to Mad. He even had an $800 check!

Success with Spy vs. Spy

Prohías continued to draw Spy vs. Spy for many years. In late 1986, he drew his 241st and final Spy comic before he retired due to illness. He also wrote and drew six books filled with the adventures of the Black and White Spies.

In an interview in 1983, Prohías proudly said, "The sweetest revenge has been to turn Fidel's accusation of me as a spy into a moneymaking venture." This meant he was happy that the accusation of him being a spy led to his most famous and successful creation.

Working with Other Cartoonists

Two years after Prohías started at Mad, another cartoonist named Sergio Aragonés came from Mexico to New York. He also wanted to work for Mad. Since Aragonés wasn't very good at English yet, he asked Prohías to help him translate.

However, it turned out Prohías knew even less English than Aragonés! When Prohías introduced Aragonés to the Mad editors, he called him "Sergio, my brother from Mexico." The editors thought they were meeting "Sergio Prohías."

Later, a Mad writer named Frank Jacobs joked that Prohías's English was mostly just "Hello" and "How are you, brother?" Cartoonist Al Jaffee even joked, "Antonio is non-lingual!" This shows that despite the language barrier, Prohías was a beloved part of the Mad team.

Travel and Dedication

The Mad staff sometimes took trips together to other countries. Prohías joined these trips when he could. But because he had left Cuba, it was sometimes hard for him to enter certain countries.

Once, before a Mad trip to Italy, an airport official told him he could leave, but might not be able to come back. Prohías later drew a picture for Mad publisher William M. Gaines. The drawing showed him being stopped by angry airport officials. But his heart was flying over their heads to join the rest of the Mad group. A note at the bottom said: "Mr. Gaines, my heart will always travel with you." This showed his deep loyalty and friendship with the Mad team.

Other Works by Prohías

While Spy vs. Spy is his most famous work, Prohías created many other comic strips. Most of these, like El Hombre Siniestro and Tovarich, were published mainly in Cuba. Out of about 270 cartoons he drew for Mad, only about 20 were not part of his spy series.

One of his other famous works for Mad was the cover for issue #154 in 1972. It showed Alfred E. Neuman eating an ear of corn. He left a single row of kernels untouched because of the gap in his upper teeth. You can find more information about Prohías's other works in books like The Spy Vs Spy Complete Casebook (2001) and the Spy vs. Spy Omnibus (2011).

Antonio Prohías passed away from lung cancer at the age of 77. He is buried in Woodlawn Park Cemetery and Mausoleum in Miami, Florida.

Characters Other Than Spy vs. Spy

• El Hombre Siniestro: (The Sinister Man) This character wore a wide hat and a long coat. He had a long, pointy nose, which later became a design idea for the Spies. El Hombre Siniestro first appeared in a magazine called Bohemia in 1956.
• La Mujer Siniestra: (The Sinister Woman) Like her male counterpart, La Mujer Siniestra was a character who caused trouble for others.
• Tovarich: "Tovarich" is a Russian word for "comrade." This character was meant to be a funny parody of a dictator. Prohías designed him to look like a leader from the Soviet Union. Since the comics were set in Russia and not Cuba, people couldn't openly complain that it was about their own government. When his colleagues who supported the government complained, Prohías would say, "What? What's wrong with it? It's not about Cuba, it's about Russia." Tovarich first appeared in a newspaper called Prensa Libre in 1959.
• The Diplomat: This was a very small character, but he had his own short comic strips in a MAD book called MAD's Big Book of Spy vs Spy Capers and Other Surprises. He also appeared in a "Spy vs. Spy" cartoon on the TV show MADtv. The Diplomat wears a fancy waistcoat, a black jacket, a medal, and a top hat. He also has a long, pointy nose, similar to the Spies.
• Erizo: This character appears in a "funeral" picture in The Complete Casebook, but not much is explained about him. He first appeared in a magazine called Carteles in 1948.
• Oveja Negra: Also known as Black Sheep. This character is a young boy who wears a propeller beanie, a T-shirt, and shorts. He appears in some artwork for The Complete Casebook, including the "funeral" picture. In that picture, Oveja Negra is the only one who looks sad. He first appeared in a newspaper called Informacion in 1949.
• Anti-Dictator Cartoons: Prohías also drew serious cartoons that showed his feelings about freedom and fairness. These cartoons often used symbols to show his disapproval of leaders who limited people's rights. For example, one cartoon showed a skeleton having trouble eating with a hammer and sickle, with the caption "Gentlemen, it is very difficult to eat with a hammer and sickle!"

Images for kids

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  A robot drawing, representing creativity.

See also

In Spanish: Antonio Prohías para niños