Patoruzú

Patoruzú is a comic character created in 1928 by Dante Quinterno and is considered the most popular hero of Argentine comics. Patoruzú is a wealthy Tehuelche cacique with great estate properties in Patagonia, and possesses both superhuman physical strength and a charitable yet naive heart. He was originally only a side character in Quinterno's series "Don Gil Contento", but became so popular with readers that the comic was renamed after him.

Patoruzú first appeared on October 19, 1928, in the Las Aventuras de Don Gil Contento strip in the Crítica newspaper, under the name of Curugua Curuguagüigua; last cacique of the giant Tehuelches, of whom Don Gil becomes tutor. The name was deemed too difficult to pronounce and was soon changed to Patoruzú, after the then-popular candy Pasta de Orozú. Nevertheless, the strip was canceled by the newspaper after only a few days.

Later that year Dante Quinterno started working for La Razón newspaper with the strip Don Julián de Monte Pío (predecessor of another of Quinterno's popular characters: the playboy Isidoro Cañones). In September 1930, Patoruzú was again introduced into the strip when Don Julián became his tutor. Slowly, Patoruzú assumed greater importance in the strip, which on December 11, 1931, was renamed to Patoruzú.

In 1935 Quinterno sold the publication rights to El Mundo newspaper, and the first compilation of the adventures of the cacique was published. The strip was also published in newspapers in other Argentine cities outside of Buenos Aires.

In November 1936 the first Patoruzú monthly magazine was released and completely sold out the same day. The magazine was then published fortnightly, and then weekly. The magazine reached a record circulation of 300,000 copies, soon requiring a team to create its scripts and drawings, under the supervision of Quinterno.

On April 30, 1977, the 2,045th and last issue of Patoruzú was released. Slightly adapted versions of the original have been published, as well as the comic Patoruzito, about the life of young Patoruzú.

In 1942 the 12-minute short film Upa en apuros was the first Argentine animated film produced in colour.

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