Mauricio de Sousa is a Brazilian cartoonist and businessman who has created over 200 characters for his popular children's comic book series Turma da Mônica (Monica and Friends). Beginning his career as a newspaper crime reporter, he turned to comics in 1959 and went on to build an enduring franchise. His work has received recognition in Brazil and abroad, including several international honors, and in 2011 he was honored at the Festival Internacional de Quadrinhos in Belo Horizonte.
Early life
Born in Santa Isabel, São Paulo, Mauricio grew up in a household rich in art, since his father was a barber, poet, composer and painter, and his mother was a poet. The family home often hosted gatherings of artists and musicians. He learned to read at about five years old using comic books, and his parents encouraged his interest in them. His father's criticism of the Vargas government through his newspapers led to a police raid that destroyed the family's printing shop.
Comic book career
After working as a crime reporter, Mauricio began drawing comics in 1959 with a strip about the dog Bidu, his first character. Monica and Horacio followed in 1963, and in 1970 Monica received her own comic book in partnership with the publisher Abril. In 2008 he launched Turma da Mônica Jovem, which shows the characters as teenagers in a style influenced by manga, and in 2012 he featured characters created by Osamu Tezuka in a story arc.