Mauricio de Sousa
Cartoonist
Brazilian cartoonist known for creating and developing a wide range of iconic characters for his series of children's comic books. He is best known for his series of "Monica" books which feature a vast range of characters inspired from his life and his youth.
Since the age of 17, he began working for a daily newspaper. With a job in crime reporting, he was more intrigued with the cartoons and illustrations they featured. In 1959, he left the newspaper and began working on his own series of comic books, earning a name for himself with the publication of "Monica's Gang."
In 1997, he founded the Mauricio de Sousa Cultural Institute which helps to develop social action campaigns through using the comic book format.
He was born in Santa Isabel, Brazil. He has ten children whom he often basis his characters from.
He was the first overseas animator who was allowed to use characters by Osamu Tezuka.