If you grew up in the 80s and early 90s, this man is responsible for one of the biggest Brazilian urban legends of that era. A story that kept children awake at night, upset parents, provoked opinion makers to form eccentric opinions, caused quarrels, intrigues and squabbles in the corners of playgrounds and in boys’ and girls’ rooms. It instigated the anatomical interest of future physicians. He was the subject of radio and TV programs. He populated the nightmares of a generation. A story so controversial that it would be on 11 of every clickbait blog today, fueling headlines like «You Won’t Believe What’s Inside».
We are talking about the legend of Fofão. If you didn’t live during that time, chances are you heard about it. ME found Deusenir Prieto, the man behind the “Curse of Fofão”.
COMMERCIAL BREAK – The legend of Fofão and other incredible stories of the kind are on the cover story of in October: Toys for Killing. Run to the bank, supermarket or bookstore!
ME – What was your role at Mimo [fabricante do boneco do Fofão nos anos 80]?
Deusenir Prieto – I graduated in Methods and Processes, which gave me a vast knowledge of all the processes involved in making toys. I was development manager at Mimo
How was the structure of the Fofão puppet developed? Was it inspired by another toy?
At the time, we didn’t have polyester fiber filling like we do today, so we filled it with Styrofoam microspheres. As this material did not give stability to the doll, I had to develop a structure on which the head was fixed and, later, introduced into the body, with the doll already filled with microspheres. To facilitate the process, this structure had an elongated shape, which resembled a dagger. But it wasn’t sharp or sharp.
Did the toy meet the safety standards at the time? Would he answer today?
All toys created and developed at Mimo were within the norms. We had an internal laboratory where we carried out preliminary safety tests, even before sending them to the certifying laboratory. Each technician had a copy of the standard on his workbench.
What memories do you have of the time the doll was launched? How was the public reception?
I remember the launch. The audience’s reception was beyond expectations, as Fofão had a great charisma with children. It was a tremendous success. So big that we even produced the second version of Fofão, which we called Fofãozinho.
As for the “black dagger, curse, pact with the devil” stories, etc., did you and Mimo always know about them?
It was long after the product had been a tremendous success. After even the second version. If I’m not mistaken, it was a radio station in the North or Northeast that made that comment. Just as there were other comments of our first Xuxa doll, which said that the doll was trapped in a glass dome in a church, for having scratched a child[readmoreaboutthestoryoftheXuxadollintheOctoberME[leiamaissobreahistóriadabonecadaXuxanaMEdeoutubro
Asking our readers who didn’t live in the 80s, many referred to Fofão more as a doll – or a doll with an urban legend – than a TV character. Did you know the dimension that the puppet created in almost 30 years?
I see Fofão as a milestone for that time, which brought a lot of joy to children. Especially to those who had contact with the character through its creator, Orival Pessini, who always had the concern and ethics of transmitting only good messages
What other toys have you created?
There was a project that came into my hands to develop, the first pregnant doll, which was called Ganha Nenê. At the time, it was a tremendous controversy, which reverted into positive propaganda. We sell a lot. I created the Gessinho doll, which had two pieces of vinyl imitating plaster, applied to the little arm and leg. She also came with a crutch. I also developed the first Turma da Mônica dolls with foam bodies. They had a huge head and, like Fofão, they also needed a structure to support the head. But since the body was made of foam, the structure was not shaped like a sword (laughs)
I also raised a baby who took a bottle and then started to cry. When the child changed the diaper, he saw that the doll had rashes on the legs, just apply cold water and they disappeared. When drying the legs, the doll stopped crying. I didn’t just make dolls, but also toys and board games. The most recent was the first doll with voice recognition, called Smart Alice
Did you get rich in any way with Fofão?
My greatest asset was being able to raise my children in such an enchanting world that toys are. And also being able to see the happiness of a child when receiving a toy that I created or developed. I’ve been working for 38 years creating and developing toys. I know the importance of playing. It is a constant struggle, and a sadness, to see our children stop being children too soon. In addition, it is a pity that we do not have universities here in Brazil preparing people to work with toys.
Why?
Playing is character building
Read too:
– The scariest dolls of all time