Quino: Humor, Wit, and Heart

Considered one of the best Hispanic American cartoonists of the last 50 years, and one of the most renowned worldwide, Joaquín Salvador Lavado Tejón, better known as Quino, was a brilliant Argentinian artist, who left a legacy of humor, wit, and social critique in over 60 years of a successful international career.

Born in Mendoza in 1932, the same year in which his parents arrived from Spain to settle in Argentina, Quino was given early on the pet name that would make him famous, in order to distinguish him from the rest of his relatives called ‘Joaquín’.
                                            
It was precisely his uncle Joaquín who, from an early age, awoke Quino’s interest for drawing and illustration.

At age seventeen, after the death of his mother, Quino began studying drawing at the Fine Arts School in Mendoza.

However, the following year he dropped his studies to focus entirely on the creation of cartoons and illustrations, after selling his first illustration for an advertisement.

In 1951, Quino went to Buenos Aires, hoping to work as an illustrator and cartoonist, but he failed to arise the interest of any publication.
 

“Do you have any ideas of your own, young man?
No, no. I rent them.
Excellent. We don’t want any surprises here.”

After completing his military draft, in 1954 Quino went back to Buenos Aires, where he finally managed to have his work published for the first time in the weekly “Esto Es”. This would be followed by regular collaborations for the magazines “Rico Tipo”, “Tío Merengue”, and “Dra. Vicenta”, aside from doing illustrations for advertisements.

In 1962, Quino exhibited his works in Buenos Aires for the first time, and in 1963 he published his first book, “Quino World”, a compilation of his best cartoons up until then.

Like many other cartoonists, Quino used his art to make social criticism, particularly against the abuse of power, totalitarian regimes, social incongruence, and everyday life. 

Following the cultural and social tendencies of the 1960s -decade in which Quino realized much of his activity-, his cartoons are frequently of mordant and acerbic humor, and sometimes surrealist.

Aside from crediting his family for his passion for illustration, Quino also credited them for his philosophy of life and his political views, both of which gave cue to innumerable cartoons and were the source of most of his work. 

However, his most accessible and popular humor came along in what would be his most unforgettable character: Mafalda. 

Created initially in 1962 as the image for an ad campaign for a home appliances firm that broke, Quino rescued the character the following year, publishing it as a comic strip for the first time, in the humor supplement “Gregorio”. 

The strip was an instant success, and it was soon published regularly in other media, such as the newspapers “El Mundo” and “Primera Plana”, as well as in compilation mini-books.  

Mafalda is a 6 year old girl, passionate of The Beatles, enemy of soup, and with a sharp vision of the world. Along her are her little brother Guille (pet name for Guillermo), Susanita (an anti-feminist, whose golden dream is to marry and be a mom), Felipe (shy and a dreamer, fan of The Lone Ranger), Miguelito (the youngest, sweet and innocent), Manolito (son of a Galician store owner, and with a mercantilist vision of the world), Libertad (younger than Mafalda, but with higher philosophical views ), as well as the self-sacrificing parents of Mafalda.

Mafalda represents the socio-political moment in which it was conceived, and as such its subjects turn around the world events and social paradigms of the time in which it was published (1964 - 1973). However, its vision is universal.

Mafalda has been compared from the beginning with “Peanuts” by Charles Schultz, due to the adult subjects expressed through children characters. However, while “Peanuts” presents a more philosophical viewpoint of life, Mafalda faces the problems and frustrations just like anyone else.

Just like in “Peanuts”, many of the phrases and comments spoken by Mafalda and her friends encompass global thoughts that are still current nowadays, regardless of the time or geographical location. 

That’s where the genius of Quino and the strength of Mafalda lie: its message transcends time and space, and is the reason why it is more remembered than any other of Quino’s creations.

 

In the nine years in which Quino worked on Mafalda, it became the bestselling Hispanic American comic strip in the world, and was translated to over 11 languages, including French, English, Italian, Korean, German, Finnish, Norwegian, Guarani, and even Braille. 

In 1973, "Mafalda", the animated film for television, was first shown in Argentina, comprising in a single argument a series of animated episodes previously aired separately.

In spite of the global success of Mafalda, that same year Quino decided to finish the strip, citing "lack of ideas" to continue it. However, the delicate political climate of Argentina at that time played an important part in his decision, as he admitted years later.

Quino hated repetition, and although he retook the character occasionally - such as to illustrate UNICEF’s Children’s Rights Declaration, in 1977 -, he never again published stories about her or any of the other “Mafalda” characters. 

However, Mafalda’s humor has remained relevant through the years thanks to the multiple re-editions of the comic strip.

“Izn’t it incredible all dat a pencil can hold inside?”

In 1976, after the coup d’Etat in Argentina, Quino self-exiled in Milan, from where he continued his work as cartoonist for different international media.

Thanks to the success of Mafalda, Quino’s work was published and translated for a vast international market, increasing the fame of its creator.

On the whole, Quino published 23 books, including the compilation of all Mafalda strips, different cartoon compilations, and original works. Among them are: “Don’t you yell at me” (1972), “Quinotherapy” (1985), “Potents, Prepotents, Impotents” (1989), “It wasn’t me” (1994), “People are rotten” (1996), and “Who’s there?” (2012). 

 

In 1998, Quino was declared Illustrious Citizen of Mendoza, and was given the keys of the city. In 2004 the honor was replicated in Buenos Aires, declaring him Illustrious Citizen of the city that saw him emerge as an artist.

In 2014, for the 50th Anniversary of Mafalda’s first publication, the first sculpture of Mafalda and her friends was inaugurated in the San Telmo neighborhood, in Buenos Aires.

That sculpture was followed in 2018 by another in Mendoza, in a ceremony attended by Quino himself, and recently (2021), another in San Salvador de Jujuy, also in Argentina.

The three sculptures are frequently visited by tourists, and give proof of the relevance and popularity of Quino’s characters up to this day.

 

Despite multiple health problems that affected his mobility and eyesight (due to degenerative glaucoma), Quino continued his creative work, publishing in 2016 what would be his last book, “Simply Quino”.

After the death of his wife, Alicia Colombo, in 2017 Quino went back to live in the city that saw him being born. 

It was there where a brain hemorrhage cut his life short, on September 30th, at the age of 88, only a day after the 56th anniversary of the first publication of Mafalda.

During his lifetime, Quino was honored with myriad awards, among them the title of Knight of the Order of  Isabel the Catholic (2005), the Prince of Asturias Award in Communication and Humanities (2014), the Order of Merit Pablo Neruda (2015) and the French Legion of Honor (2014), the highest award granted by the French Government to a foreigner.

In 1999, the newly discovered asteroid 27178 was named “Quino”, in honor of the Argentinian cartoonist.

In addition, Mafalda and its author were honored by a series of stamps issued by the Spanish Mail and the Argentinian Mail offices.

Quino wished to be remembered as someone who made people think about what’s going on. 

However, he achieved much more than that. 

He is remembered as the father of one of the most iconic characters of the 20th century, and through his unforgettable characters and sharp wit, he not only made people think about every day issues, but also united them in the same feeling for all the things that, still nowadays, remain the main hopes and wishes of humanity: freedom, justice, equality, harmony, and happiness.

To Learn More

To learn more about Quino, read interviews, check his exhibitions, curiosities, and much more, visit Quino’s official web page: www.quino.com.ar/homequino
 

You can also follow Mafalda’s comic strip in social media (in Spanish Only):

Instagram: www.instagram.com/mafaldadigital
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MafaldaDigital

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