La terrible Fifí
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La terrible Fifí ("The Terrible Fifí") was a Spanish comic strip series created by Nené Estivill for the magazine Pulgarcito published by Editorial Bruguera in 1958. It is considered one of the "enfant terrible" characters of classic Spanish comics, alongside Zipi y Zape and Angelito.[1]
La terrible Fifí was published in the magazines Pulgarcito and Lily.[2]
Plot and characters
Fifí is a clever and perverse girl from the upper bourgeoisie,[3] who manipulates those around her in order to humiliate them, especially:
- Melanio Repelillo,[4] the boyfriend of her aunt Ofelia.
- Don Ricachini, a stereotypical wealthy man eager for social recognition and Melanio's boss.[5]
Other less frequent characters include:
- Her father Don Fermín and her mother;
- Her brother Papiolo,[6]
- And Simón, Don Ricachini's servant.
A running gag at the end of the strip features a victim pleading for help from Don Sordete, who—true to his name ("sordete" is diminutive for "sordo": "deaf" in Spanish, "Don" means "Sir")—cannot hear anything and ends by insisting that it's imperative for Kubala to play (a popular footballer of the era).
Occasionally, Don Chafaderete appears as well, explaining the situation to him.[5]
Reception
As historian Juan Antonio Ramírez explains, this series—despite appearing to contrast with Agamenón (bourgeoisie versus peasants, wickedness versus kindness)—shares with it the portrayal of a world on the verge of disappearing in the face of the emerging consumer society.[3]