Personal details
- Birth Date: 1935-10-27
- Birth Location: Santa Isabel, São Paulo, Brazil
- Children: (divorced, 4 children) Mariângela Spada e Sousa
- Children: (3 children) Mariângela Spada e Sousa
- Professions: Writer, Director, Producer
Mauricio de Sousa popped onto the scene in Santa Isabel, São Paulo, way back in 1935—yep, that’s pre-Beatles, pre-Internet, pre-everything. The guy’s a legend in Brazil, and even if you’re not into comics, you’ve probably seen his work plastered everywhere. He’s the mastermind behind the insanely popular "Turma da Mônica" series—think Peanuts, but with way more Brazilian flair. These characters, with their wild hair and everyday kid problems, basically grew up with millions of Brazilians. Mauricio didn’t just stick to drawing panels; he took his stories to the big screen too. He’s credited for directing classics like "A Turma da Mônica em A Princesa e o Robô" (1983)—which, okay, is a wild mashup of robots and fairy tales. Then there’s "Turma da Mônica e a Estrelinha Mágica" (1988), where the gang gets tangled up in all sorts of sparkly, magical chaos. And let's not forget "Turma da Mônica em O Bicho-Papão e Outras Histórias" (1987), with its lovable monsters and goofy adventures. Basically, he turned his comic strip universe into a whole cinematic playground. Off-screen, Mauricio’s got his own crew—he’s married to Alice Keiko, and together they’ve raised three kids. The dude’s still kicking, still creating, and honestly, there’s barely a corner of Brazilian pop culture that hasn’t been touched by his imagination. If you grew up in Brazil, odds are, you owe at least a chunk of your childhood to Mauricio and his band of cartoon misfits.
People call him the Brazilian Walt Disney, which honestly isn’t much of a stretch if you’ve seen his work. He brought animation to Brazil in a way nobody else really pulled off—like, he didn’t just make cartoons, the guy built a whole universe. Imagine growing up with those characters, the same way kids in the U.S. know Mickey or Donald. His stuff is everywhere—comics, TV, toys, you name it. The stories, too, aren’t just for laughs; there’s a ton of Brazilian culture packed in, and you can tell he really cared about that. Even adults get sucked in sometimes, reminiscing about when they’d read his comics as kids. It’s wild how someone can become a household name like that, where everybody, literally everybody, knows at least one of his characters. Basically, he shaped the childhood of generations, and that’s not something you see every day.
October 27, 1935
Konidela Ram Charan
Santa Isabel, São Paulo, Brazil
Yes, Mariângela Spada e Sousa
89 years old