You can find the most iconic ones at the Paseo de la Historieta in San Telmo. Life-sized -although, what is the real size of a cartoon character? –  sculptures of these characters are distributed along Defensa, Chile, Balcarce, Mexico, and Paseo Colón streets, among others. Historieta is Spanish for cartoon and this walk is an tribute to our beloved characters.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsIsidorito and Patoruzito (left), las chicas de Divito (centre), Isidoro Cañones and me

I remember when I was growing up and my parents would mention some cartoon characters they liked when they were younger. I had no idea what they were talking about and would look at them with a blank look. Now I got the be on the other side of the fence. I took two of my nieces, the 15-year-old and the 12-year-old, to the Paseo de la Historieta and they gave me the same puzzled look every time I got excited about seeing a character from my childhood. I think they recognized the two or three most recent ones. But that’s OK, we had a great time hunting for the sculptures.

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Don Fulgencio (left), Clemente and I (right)

The official tourism website of the city of Buenos Aires has a description of each character and their location. My favourite characters, that is, those from my time, are clever Mafalda and her friends, Isidoro Cañones -the quintessential porteño playboy-, and Patoruzito – a first nation chief. Even if you’ve never heard of them, this is a fun walk and a fun way to learn a little about our popular culture. The walk ends at the Museo del Humor, the museum of humor, a fitting end for a cartoon-themed walk.

//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.jsSusanita, Mafalda and Manolito

Have you done the cartoon walk? Would you consider doing it?