Anteojito

Anteojito was a boy who wore large glasses (hence his name), and whose age varied over the years. Although it was never explicitly stated, in his early appearances he seemed to be around 6 years old, and in his later ones about 10. He could be very calm or very mischievous, always very intelligent, and lived with his Uncle Antifaz. His catchphrase to end a comic strip or adventure was "¡Intríngulis-Chíngulis! ¡Uh! ¡Uh! ¡Uh!", and the word he used as an exclamation to indicate his surprise "¡Tracatechingulis!".

The character changed over the years, becoming more modern. In his early days, he had barely six hairs and a small, somewhat disproportionate body, wearing only a simple apron and going barefoot. Later, his appearance became more "realistic," shedding his cartoonish features and adopting more stylized proportions. He grew taller, wore a cap, shoes, and trousers, and had a fuller head of hair, which makes him look more grown-up .

Anteojito was particularly known for his singing style (voiced by Marion Tiffemberg until her death in 1979, when the character's creator's daughter, Diana García Ferré, took over), bringing dozens of children's songs and songs from Argentine culture to children, such as "La vaca lechera", "Barrilito de Cerveza", "Mi Buenos Aires Querido" among others.

Anteojito originated in an advertising campaign in the early 1960s, broadcast on Canal 9 in Buenos Aires. The commercials featured Anteojito and his uncle Antifaz in various situations, showcasing a variety of products throughout the animated short. The character's popularity among children led to the creation in 1964 of his own weekly magazine, also titled "Anteojito." Its content was educational, aligned with the educational policies of the time, and entertaining, featuring comic strip adventures, games, stories, legends, fables, and other sections, which evolved over its 37 years of publication.

Anteojito eventually appeared in a few episodes of the series The Adventures of Hijitus, alongside Antifaz, though more as an incidental character than a regular one^[1]. The character's popularity motivated García Ferré to produce an animated feature film in 1972 starring Anteojito and Antifaz, accompanied by previously known characters as well as others created specifically for the film. The film was the first color Argentine animated feature film and also the first to win an international award^[2]. Anteojito also starred in animated shorts and his own television programs. The first was "The Anteojito and Antifaz Club," which began airing in 1964 and was hosted by famous names such as Maurice Jouvet, Guillermo Brizuela Méndez, Emilio Ariño, Osvaldo Pacheco, Julio Vivar, Marta Camus, and Juan Carlos Altavista, among others.

Starting in 1983, a sequel was broadcast, simply called "El Club de Anteojito", a program hosted by Berugo Carámbula and Gachi Ferrari that in the early 1980s, was a huge success, and established him as one of the most famous and beloved characters for the children of a new generation^[3].

In 1964, the aforementioned children's magazine "Anteojito," created by Manuel García Ferré, went on sale. Throughout its run, it successfully competed with another very popular children's magazine in Argentina, Billiken. While other children's magazines began publication on occasion, none managed to surpass the success that "Anteojito" enjoyed for many years.

In the mid-1990s, children's magazines began to be launched that completely changed the subject matter, focusing more on technology and computers, leaving behind the naiveté, innocence, and charm that characterized "Anteojito." This is the case, for example, of the Grupo Clarín magazine, "Genios" (still published today), which, starting in 1998, began to surpass "Anteojito" in circulation. Finally, towards the end of 2001, and after more than 1900 issues, "Anteojito" ceased publication, bringing to a close an entire era of Argentine children's culture, through whose pages a large number of characters paraded, including: "The Adventures of Pi-Pío", "Pelopincho and Cachirula", "Aurora the Cow", "The Adventures of Hijitus", "The Mischievous Sandrita", "Rinkel, The Whaler", "Sónoman" and many more.