Mauricio de Sousa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mauricio de Sousa
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Mauricio de Sousa (2015)
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| Born | Mauricio Araújo de Sousa October 27, 1935 (age 89) Santa Isabel
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| Occupation | Comics artist, entrepreneur, journalist, writer, animator |
| Works | Monica and Friends |
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| Signature | |
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Mauricio Araújo de Sousa (born October 27, 1935), known as Mauricio de Sousa, is a famous Brazilian cartoonist and businessman. He has created over 200 characters for his popular children's comic book series, Turma da Mônica.
When he was 17, Mauricio worked as a reporter for a newspaper called Folha da Manhã. In 1959, he left that job to start his career in comic books. This is when he created Monica and Friends. Mauricio's characters were inspired by children he knew growing up and by his own children. His later drawing style reminds some people of Osamu Tezuka, a famous Japanese manga artist and a friend of Mauricio.
Mauricio's work has received many awards both in Brazil and around the world. In 2011, he was honored at the seventh Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos in Belo Horizonte.
Contents
Early Life and Inspiration
Mauricio de Sousa was born in Santa Isabel, São Paulo. His parents were Antônio Mauricio de Sousa and Petronilha Araújo de Sousa. He grew up in a home filled with art. His father was a barber, but also a poet, composer, and painter. His mother was a poet. Their house always had many books and was a place where artists often gathered.
Mauricio said he learned to read with comic books when he was 5 years old. He found a comic magazine missing its cover and asked his mother to read it. Seeing how much he liked it, his mother taught him to read. His father brought him even more comic books.
When Mauricio was a baby, his family moved to Mogi das Cruzes. There, he started drawing posters and illustrations for radio stations and newspapers. When he told his father he wanted to be an artist, his father advised him to "draw in the morning and manage in the afternoon."
In 1940, his family moved to São Paulo for two years.
Mauricio's Career in Comics
At 17, Mauricio worked as a reporter for the newspaper Folha da Manhã. In 1959, he left that job to begin his comic book career. This is when he created Monica and Friends.
Mauricio's comics became famous worldwide. They have been used on many products and turned into movies, TV shows, and video games. There was even an amusement park in São Paulo called Parque da Mônica ("Monica's Park"). Other parks were in Curitiba and Rio de Janeiro, but they closed in the early 2000s.
From 1970 to 1986, Editora Abril published Mauricio's comic books. Then, Globo took over in 1987. Since January 2007, Panini Comics has published the series.
In 1997, Mauricio started the Maurício de Sousa Cultural Institute. This group creates social campaigns using comic books. They explain important topics to both young and adult readers in a fun way.
In 2008, Mauricio began publishing Turma da Mônica Jovem ("Monica Adventures"). This series shows Monica and her friends as teenagers. It uses black-and-white pages and a drawing style similar to manga. One issue, No. 34, showed the first real kiss between Monica and Jimmy Five. It sold 500,000 copies!
In 2012, Mauricio published a special two-issue story in the Monica Teen comic book. It featured characters from Osamu Tezuka, like Astro, Sapphire, and Kimba. They joined Monica and her friends on an adventure in the Amazon rainforest. They fought against a group cutting down trees illegally. This was the first time Tezuka Productions allowed other artists to use Tezuka's characters.
Awards and Recognition
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Mauricio's work for the public has earned him international praise. He received a special medal from the Brazilian president for promoting human rights. He also got an honorary degree from La Roche College in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Brazilian International Press Association gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Mauricio's Family Life
Mauricio was married to Marilene Sousa for 12 years. They had four children: Mariângela, Mônica, Magali, and Maurício Spada. Later, he had two more daughters, Vanda and Valéria, with Vera Lúcia Signorelli. Vera passed away in a car accident in 1971.
Two years later, he married Alice Keiko Takeda. They had three children: Marina, Mauro, and Maurício Takeda de Sousa. Mauricio's last child, Marcelo de Sousa, was born from another relationship after he and Alice had divorced.
Many of his children inspired characters in his comics. These include Monica, Maggy, Marina, Mary Angela, Nimbus, and Nick Nope. Sadly, one of his sons, Maurício Spada e Sousa, passed away in 2016.
Mauricio de Sousa's son, Mauro de Sousa, plays him in the 2025 movie Mauricio de Sousa: O Filme.
Mauricio's Creative Works
Here are some of the comic series Mauricio de Sousa created:
Main Comic Series
- Monica and Friends – This is Mauricio's most famous series. It was first based on his childhood and later on his own children, who became the main characters.
- Monica Adventures – This is a spin-off series from Monica and Friends. It shows Monica and her friends as teenagers, drawn in a manga style. It started in 2008.
- Blu – This series features talking pets like dogs and cats. Blu, a dog, often talks with the "Tracer" who draws the comic.
- Chuck Billy 'n' Folks – This series is about a farm boy and his friends who live in a small village in Brazil. A teenage version of this series also started in 2013.
- Tina's Pals – This series is for teenagers and young adults. It follows a group of teenage friends. It started in 1970 as a children's series but later focused on the character Tina.
- Bug-a-Booo – These are funny horror stories. The characters include a ghost (Penadinho), a vampire, a werewolf, a mummy, and a grim reaper (Dona Morte). They all live in a cemetery.
- Lionel's Kingdom – This series features wild animals, both African and Brazilian. They live under the rule of a lion king.
- The Cavern Clan – This series stars a smart caveman named Pitheco and his friends from the Lem village. They live with dinosaurs.
- Horacio's World – This series is about an orphaned dinosaur named Horacio. He is a vegetarian tyrannosaurus and has his own group of friends. It was first published in 1963.
- The Tribe – This series features a Native Brazilian child named Curumim and his friends. They live in an Amazonian village.
- Bubbly the Astronaut – This series is about a Brazilian space adventurer who flies a round spaceship. It was first published in 1963.
Discontinued Works
- Boa Bola – A character created in 1964 for an older audience. He was often linked to sports, especially football. He was popular in the 60s but was stopped as Mauricio focused on children's comics.
- Niquinho – An innocent boy who often had bad luck. He was first in a picture book in 1965. He was in newspaper comics from 1968 to 1971.
- Nico Demo – A mischievous boy known for causing trouble. He was created in 1966. His comics had a darker humor and were eventually stopped.
- Os Souza – A series for adults about a family. The husband was based on Mauricio de Sousa, and his wife was based on Mauricio's first wife. This series was gradually stopped in the 80s.
- Pelezinho – A comic series that honored the famous football player Pelé. It was about young Pelezinho and his friends playing football. It was published from 1977 to 1986. Mauricio also made similar comics about other Brazilian football players like Ronaldinho Gaucho and Neymar Jr..
Unproduced Works
- Dieguito – Mauricio tried to make a comic about Diego Maradona's childhood, but the project was stopped.
- Beatles 4 Kids – In the late 80s, Mauricio wanted to create a series about The Beatles as children. He hoped to keep their music alive for new generations. However, he could not get a contract with the band.
- Ronaldinho Fenômeno – Around the time of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Mauricio tried to make a comic about the football player Ronaldo. This project was later changed to Ronaldinho Gaúcho.
- Os Amazônicos - In 2002, Mauricio was inspired to create a new series with cute characters living in the Amazon Rainforest. These characters were indigenous children and animals. The project was not fully carried out.
Images for kids
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Mauricio de Sousa (2015)
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Mauricio de Sousa's signature
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Mauricio de Sousa interviewed in 2018
See also
In Spanish: Mauricio de Sousa para niños
