The girl. The comic strip. The legend. Photo by Beatrice Murch/FlickrThere is a life-size statue of a girl who has taken a permanent seat on a bench in Buenos Aires. She’s a cute little thing with an ear to ear grin and matching dress and hair bow. Her name is Mafalda.
This cartoon statue was installed in 2009 as a tribute to the beloved Mafalda comic strip created by Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, widely known by his pen name Quino.
Mafalda made her 1964 debut in an Argentine newspaper as a compassionate and inquisitive 6-year-old. She famously loves the Beatles, hates soup, and cares deeply about world peace. Weekly publications showcased Mafalda her questioning social ideals and political issues in a humorous and refreshing perspective that comes from observing life as a child sees it.
Many topics featured in the comic strip are still relevant today. The originals are written in Spanish, but we’ve found some in English to share…
Mafalda questions the future plans of her friend.
She considers the difference between the two hemispheres.
Mafalda won the hearts of readers in Argentina and countries throughout Latin America, North America, Europe, and beyond for ten years. Quino stopped drawing the comic strip in 1973 but interest in her lives on today.
Nostalgic fans and younger generations are now exposed to the cultural icon that is Mafalda through other mediums. Original comic strips have been republished in a series of animated books, repurposed for television, and even featured in Mafalda The Movie (1982). Check out Mafalda on Instagram and Facebook .
The statue of Mafalda is in the same neighborhood of San Telmo where Quino once lived.
She’s sitting on a bench on the corner of streets Chile and Defensa, patiently waiting to take a photo with you.
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