Chespirito's 91st Birthday

Today’s Doodle celebrates the 91st birthday of the iconic Mexican comedian, entertainer, writer, composer, television director, and producer Chespirito, best known for creating and starring in some of the most beloved television series in Mexican history.

Robert Gomez Bolaños was born on this day in 1929 in Mexico City. After studying engineering, he quickly shifted focus to one of his many other passions—writing—and found early success contributing to some of Mexico’s highest-rated television and radio programs.

As a testament to his growing reputation and prolific output, he earned the endearing nickname “Chespirito,” or “Little Shakespeare,” which he embraced for the rest of his life. 

One of Chespirito’s first big breaks came in 1970 when he launched his own self-titled, hour-long comedy sketch show. Stepping in front of the camera, Chespirito brought to life two of his most timeless characters: El Chapulín Colorado ("The Crimson Grasshopper"), a satirical superhero, and El Chavo del Ocho ("The Boy From No. Eight."), a quirky 8-year old orphan, both of which went on to earn their own shows.

For more than 40 years, Chespirito masterminded the creation of hundreds of episodes of television, in addition to movies and plays, capturing the hearts of millions with his signature style of clean and hopeful humor. His legacy lives on in the series’ reruns, which have been translated into over 50 languages and continue to run on television networks globally to this day. 

Gracias for all the laughs, Chespirito—your infectious smile brings joy to families around the world!

Doodler Q&A Helene Leroux

Today’s Doodle was created by Doodler Helene Leroux.
Below, she shares some thoughts on the making of the Doodle:
 

 Q: What was your creative approach for this Doodle? Why did you choose this approach?

A: A few years ago, we created a Doodle for the TV show El Chavo, so this particular Doodle was really meant to emphasize the actor himself. Our local marketing partner, José Carlos, was a great help in creating this Doodle and providing local guidance. I also did research on some poses that Chespirito would often do and thought it would make sense to make him pop out of the TV and smile at the audience to reflect his well-loved personality.
 

Q: Are there any technical tricks you used to create this Doodle that you can share with young artists?

A: Most of my work is done in Photoshop; I love how it really allows you to play with different brushes and layers, as with this Doodle.
 

 Q: What do you hope people will take away from this Doodle?

A: I hope that it brings back nostalgia and will make people want to watch Chespirito’s shows and movies again!

Early concepts and drafts of the Doodle