Back Turma da Mônica Catalan Turma da Mônica German Η Μόνικα Και η Παρέα Της Greek Turma da Mônica EO Turma da Mônica Spanish باند مونیکا FA Turma da Mônica French Monika dan kawan kawan ID La banda di Monica Italian モニカと仲間たち Japanese
| Monica and Friends | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the first issue of Monica's Gang in English by Panini | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher |
|
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | |
| Genre | Children Comedy Parody Adventure Fantasy Science-fiction |
| Publication date | 1959–present (as comic strip) 1970–present (as comic book) |
| Main character(s) | Monica (Mônica)
Jimmy Five (Cebolinha) Smudge (Cascão) Maggy (Magali)
|
| Creative team | |
| Created by | Mauricio de Sousa |
Monica and Friends (Portuguese: Turma da Mônica), previously published as Monica's Gang in Anglophone territories and as Frizz and Friends in London,[1] is a Brazilian comic book series and media franchise created by Mauricio de Sousa.
The series originated in a comic strip first published by the newspaper Folha da Manhã in 1959, in which the protagonists were Blu (Bidu) and Franklin (Franjinha),[2] however, in the following years the series was shaped towards its current identity with the introduction of new characters such as Monica (Mônica) and Jimmy Five (Cebolinha) who became the new protagonists.[3] The stories revolve around a group of children who live in a fictional neighborhood in São Paulo known as Lemon Tree District (Bairro do Limoeiro) which has a street with the same name called Lemon Tree Street (Rua do Limoeiro) where Monica and her several friends live, inspired by the neighborhood of Cambuí in Campinas and the city of Mogi das Cruzes, where Mauricio spent his childhood.[4]
Although the title of the franchise mainly refers to the core group of children who live on Lemon Tree Street, it's also used as an umbrella title who encompasses other works created by Mauricio throughout his career such as Chuck Billy 'n' Folks, Tina's Pals, Lionel's Kingdom, Bug-a-Booo, The Cavern Clan, Bubbly the Astronaut, Horacio's World, The Tribe, and others, since stories from these series are frequently published in comics focused in characters such as Monica, Jimmy Five, Smudge, Maggy and Chuck Billy. Since 1970, in the form of comic books, the characters have been published by publishers such as Abril (1970-1986), Globo (1987-2006) and Panini Comics (2007-present), totaling almost 2,000 issues already published for each character.[5][6]
The English title of the series was later changed to Monica and Friends. The characters and comics were subsequently adapted into, among other media, an animated television series as well as films, most of which are anthologies.[7]
In 2008, a spin-off series, Monica Teen, was created in a manga style and features the characters as teenagers.
Monica is considered the most well-known comic book character in Brazil. In 2015 alone, the characters were used on three million products for over 150 companies.[8] Nowadays the comics are sold in 40 countries in 14 languages.[9]
- ^ "Monica's Gang To Become Monica And Friends In The USA". Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News. 28 January 2014. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-12-26.
- ^ Ramone, Marcus (2009-09-11). "Álbum especial comemora os 50 anos do Bidu". Universo HQ. Archived from the original on 2009-09-13.
- ^ "Turma da Mônica - Origem, Maurício de Sousa e personagens". Segredos do Mundo (in Brazilian Portuguese). R7. 2020-06-25. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
- ^ MundoHQ - Pelezinho vai para a Copa!!! Archived 2008-04-04 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Ramone, Marcus (2009). "Resenha Mônica #1". Universo HQ. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ Marcus Ramone (8 January 2007). "Turma da Mônica chega às bancas pela Panini Comics". Universo HQ. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013.
- ^ "Quem vai mandar nessa turma?". Istoé Dinheiro (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on July 14, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Sousa, Monica Spada nee. Freedom the Size of an Elephant.
- ^ "Turma da Mônica no mercado internacional". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-14.