“ | ¡No contaban con mi astucia! | „ |
~ Chapulín Colorado’s catchphrase |
El Chapulín Colorado is the titular main protagonist of the Mexican sitcom of the same name and its animated series. Bolaños created Chapulín as an antithesis of typical comic book superheroes like Superman or Batman, instead building the character on his own vision of what a true hero should be. Chapulín may be timid, clumsy and cowardly at times, but he is honest and well meaning, doing what he can to help people against all odds.
He was portrayed by the late Roberto Gomez Bolaños, who also created the character and wrote the show.
Biography[]
Chapulín is a costumed superhero, described in the show's intro as being "More agile than a turtle, stronger than a mouse, nobler than a lettuce, and his coat of arms is a heart". Chapulín Colorado is his actual name; as revealed in a late episode, his father was a entomologist, naming him after one of his favorite insects.
Though he has no real superpowers or any fighting abilities (in fact he's really just a normal guy in a costume), he has an assortment of equipment which he uses on his adventures. Those were created by an old scientist who gave them to Chapulín after recognizing him as the most honest person he had met.
Chapulín is a very known hero throughout the world. In each episode, people recognizes Chapulín wherever he appeared (even on the planet Venus), believing him to be a great superhero. Recognition caused him to boast, only to stumble and fall right away, proving himself to be puny and timid, and disappointing his fans. Despite this, Chapulín tries his best to help, and all his adventures ended well (though sometimes by sheer good luck or outside help.)
Chapulín is a hero of undetermined geographic and temporal location: his adventures could unfold in the American Old West, in ancient China, in London, in the Swiss Alps, during the Spanish Inquisition, in pirate ships, in Nazi Germany or outer space, and his enemies range from the Yeti to Egyptian mummies, including his interaction, in some occasions, with literary characters such as Romeo and Juliet ("Juleo y Rumieta", or literally "Juleo and Rumiet"). Chapulín can just appear anytime, anywhere, whenever someone calls for him.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Fighting Skills: La Yegua Voladora, that is some kind of superman fly ramming his opponents as in Mexican wrestling.
- Chipote Chillón (Squeaky Mallet), is Chapulín's primary weapon. It is a red and yellow hammer which not only pulverizes his enemies, but also faithfully returns to his hands with a simple whistle, like a boomerang or Thor's Mjolnir.
- Antenitas de Vinil (Little Vinyl Antennae) are two red and yellow antennae on the top of the hero's head. The antennae are connected directly to his body's nervous system, allowing him to have direct control of its powers, including: detect presence of criminals and dangerous situations in general, decode and translate various languages and secret codes, capture readings of toxic or hazardous materials, receive requests for help and activate special electronic bio-resources in the Chapulín's body. The latter allows Chapulín to activate his Antenitas de Alta Velocidad (High-Speed Antennae), dramatically increasing his speed and allowing him to fight on equal terms with fast foes (to the point of casually deflecting bullets).
- Pastillas de Chiquitolina (Tinycillin Pills) are special pills that, when swallowed by Chapulín, reduce him to a size of about 8 inches tall to put enemies off guard or to access hard-to-reach locations. The effects of the pill last an average of 10 minutes, and at the end of that time Chapulin returns to his normal size. A common joke on the show is that Chapulín's enemies often imply that the use of this equipment makes no difference at all, in reference to the hero's short height in his normal size. (One time when he explained the use of the pills to his nemesis Tripaseca before using it, he sarcastically replied: "Well, then you must already have taken one of them, Chapulin!").
- La Chicharra Paralizadora (The Paralyzing Horn) is a bicycle horn that, when aimed at a person or object and sounded once, would freeze it immediately in mid-air. Sounding the horn twice makes the frozen person or object free again. Another running joke on the show is the lack of mastery of Chapulín with this weapon, which is usually activated in the worst possible time and embarrasses both the hero and his allies.
- In one episode, it's revealed that Chapulín needs to use glasses, but he usually doesn't put them on during his adventures because The Superhero Union forbids the use of glasses in service.
Quotes[]
“ | (they) Weren't counting on my cunning! | „ |
~ Chapulín Colorado, as he makes his entrance upon being summoned, or upon capturing a bad guy. |
“ | I suspected it from the beginning. | „ |
~ Chapulín Colorado, after being corrected by someone |
“ | I did it intentionally, all of my moves are coldly calculated. | „ |
~ Chapulín Colorado, after tripping or hitting his face on something |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- His father's name, Pantaleón Colorado y Roto, can be translated as "ripped and red pants", in an allusion to Superman, while his mother's name, Luisa Lane, is a reference to Lois Lane.
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Main Protagonists |