Alarac

Alaraco is a cartoon character originally created by Themo Lobos for the extinct adult humor magazine "El Pingüino".

Evolution

Alaraco is a man in his early thirties, with dark circles under his eyes and an eternal expression of anguish that he exaggerates in all kinds of situations, making big "fuss" for everything: Alaraco interprets any unimportant detail as if they were tragedies, insults, contempt or catastrophes that only he can avoid, and his own declarations of affection or solidarity are so exaggerated and cloying that it is impossible not to laugh. He is married to a sweet woman who patiently endures her husband's scandals and has a son, whom he adores and strives to care for and pamper with her usual exaggeration.

Originally, the adventures of Alaraco had a more adult tone, where there was no lack of scantily clad women, or completely naked and in situations of high sexual tension, but with the detail that nervousness (and general innocence) de Alaraco led him to react in a completely opposite way to what the reader might expect. Nor was it strange to see (far away) Alaraco's wife losing her patience and strongly criticizing her husband for his exaggerations, only to discover that at least on this occasion, her husband's fears were well founded and the misfortune that he feared IF it would happen. On other occasions, Alaraco's wife and friends simply ignored his cries for help, assuming that he was fine and was just exaggerating as usual. (The last panel showed Alaraco in a situation of real danger, still calling for help and wondering why no one was going to help him.)

After the magazine closed, Alaraco's adventures eventually continued to be published in the Sunday supplement of the newspaper La Tercera, devoid of any adult reference and focused on the daily life of Alaraco and his patient family. For many, both the art and the storyline of the comic peaked during this final stage.

Legacy and influence

The character's popularity has had the effect that in Chilean slang the adjective "alharaquiento(a)" has been replaced by "alaraco(a)", being even recognized by the Royal Spanish Academy.

In the 1980s, the character would be played by Chilean humorist Fernando Alarcón in the humorous television program Jappening con Ja using accelerated voices for Alaraco and his family, while in the 1980s 1990 was incarnated by Daniel Muñoz.

She was also an icon of television promotions, both for the game of chance "Tincazoo" of the Chilean Charity Chicken and of the Sahnne-Nuss chocolates, from the Nestlé company, where in the television spots he was interpreted by Fernando Alarcón, and the written and mural advertisements used the character drawn by Themo Lobos.