Mafalda

Hello. I am a little girl made of lines on paper. I have a big circle for a head and lots of puffy black hair. I always wear a pretty bow. I live in a world of black and white boxes, but my thoughts are full of color. I can run and jump and play with my friends. I am Mafalda, and even though I am small, I have very big ideas and questions about the world.

My creator was a kind artist named Quino. He drew me with his special pen in a country called Argentina. He wanted me to be a friend to everyone. On September 29th, 1964, he shared my very first story in a newspaper. That was my first hello to the world. Quino drew my mommy and daddy, my funny friends, and my little toy globe that I loved so much. He hoped my stories would make people smile and think about being nice to each other.

Even though I was a little girl, I worried about big things. I wanted everyone in the world to be friends and live in peace. I would ask my parents lots of questions about how to make the world a better, happier place. Oh, and there was one thing I did not like at all. I did not like soup. Yuck. For many years, all the way to 1973, Quino drew my adventures and my questions for everyone to read and think about.

My stories are not in the newspaper anymore, but you can find me in books all around the world. In Argentina, there is even a statue of me sitting on a park bench, just waiting for a friend to sit beside me. I may just be a drawing, but I hope I can remind you to stay curious and ask your own big questions. Maybe you can help make the world a happy, peaceful place for everyone, too.