TOTAL LICENSING
The world of
Mauricio de Sousa
Mauricio de Sousa not only
art director of a major newspaper. as replicas of American newspapers.
has the fourth largest art
The reaction was not what he wanted This, however, did not deter Mauricio
studio in the world, but his
to hear. “He told me to give up”, ex- who positioned his strips according
publishing business boasts
plained Mauricio. to which newspaper he was talking to.
an astonishing 75 percent
But all was not lost. Whilst at the He also claimed to have a team around
share of the children’s market
newspaper, Mauricio met a journalist him creating the strips whereas in re-
in Brazil. Comics and books
who had some advice for him. “He ality, it was still only himself.
featuring his characters have
told me to work on improving the A short time later, encouraged by his
been among the top children’s
presentation of my material and sug- successes near Sao Paulo, he extended
titles in Brazil for many years,
gested I applied for a job at the paper the reach of his syndication to Rio and
reaching 1 billion comics and
so that when I was ready to present beyond.
books published. In addition,
more material to the editor, he would “At this point”, he explained. “I really
his work has been translated
by then be a colleague”. did have to have a team around me!”
into more than 15 languages
Mauricio followed his advice and Within ten years, Mauricio’s strips ap-
in 40 countries. And, if this
worked at the newspaper, firstly as a peared in more than 300 daily newspa-
wasn’t enough, his company
copydesk editor and, subsequently, as pers in Brazil together with a number
also manages a large licensing
a police reporter where he remained of Sunday supplements and by the late
operation with 2000 licensed
for five years. 1960s Mauricio was ready to launch
products.
During his time as a crime reporter, his first comic book.
he spent his spare time getting advice
In an effort to understand this
from colleagues and studying other
phenomenal success story,
syndicated strips. At the same time, he
Total Licensing caught up with
created his first character
Mauricio at this year’s Bologna
entitled Blu, a small blue
Book Fair.
dog which he began to use
occasionally to illustrate
his crime reports.
Mauricio de Sousa was born in Santa
Eventually, he took his
Izabel, a small town outside Sao Paulo,
creations to his editor
the son of parents who were both
who, finally, agreed to
artists. But, according to Mauricio, his
publish them.
love of stories grew because of the in-
But quitting his job with the
fluence of his grandmother. “My grand-
newspaper, left Mauricio with
mother was a greater storyteller”, he
a problem. In order to make his
explained. “Every night she would tell
way as a cartoonist, he needed
me fables or stories and it really in-
to syndicate his cartoons. As he
spired me”.
explained, “I had no money so
He developed an interest in drawing
couldn’t do this in the tradition-
at an early age. “It was a way of follow-
al way. The only way I could af-
ing the family tradition”, he explained.
ford to do it was to take a radius
“I learned to read using comic books
of 100km around Sao Paulo and
and these inspired me further”, he
travel to the different newspa-
continued.
pers by bus to try to syndicate
Whilst Brazil in the 40s and 50s had
the strip”.
comic books, none were created
Back in the early 1960s,
within the country and Mauricio de-
the newpaper business
cided from an early age that it was
in Brazil was highly polar-
comics he wanted to create.
ized. The papers were ei-
At seventeen, complete with his first
ther very rightwing or highly
newspaper comic strip, he moved to
leftwing and they saw them-
Sao Paulo and presented them to an
selves as either wholly Brazilian or
121
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