Projects keep coming as Mafalda celebrates her 60th birthday with world tour

“What do the years matter?” wonders Mafalda in one of famous comic strips.

Well, today, Argentina is celebrating the 60th birthday of its favourite irreverent comic book girl. 

Last weekend, the anniversary of Mafalda’s first appearance in print was celebrated at the public square named after her. 

Sixty years on, the rebellious girl is still relevant. New appearances are on the way: sculptures of the character sit in parks and squares the world over, there is a future Netflix series in the works and thanks to the Mafalda Inmersiva project, a global exhibit featured augmented reality tools is touring the world. 

“Mafalda’s discourse is more relevant than ever”, said Maitena Inés Burundarena, the Argentine illustrator celebrated for her “Mujeres alteradas” (“Upset women”) comic strip.

“Mafalda’s world is broken, hurt. She speaks, 40 years earlier, about what’s happening to the planet now,” stated Maitena, as she celebrated the star character’s birthday.

In a comic strip, Mafalda is listening to the radio and hears “the government sets maximum prices for necessities.” And the girl wonders: “And what’s the going rate for sense?”

Mafalda’s reflections transcend generations, and she is read by parents and children alike.

“I used to read her as a child and I still do as an adult, we read it with my daughter nowadays,“ said Adriana Sosa, 36.

She said Mafalda’s criticisms “continues to be relevant” today.

Last weekend’s celebrations were attended by writers, comedians and illustrators, evidencing her impact on a generation of writers. 

There were also drawing workshops, as children sketched their own version of the character or her friends from the comic strip. As they worked, posters with dialogues from the strip lined the square, hanging from the trees, nailed to the ground.

Mafalda was created by Joaquín ‘Quino’ Lavado, who passed away four years ago. First published on September 29, 1964, Mafalda’s books have been translated into over 30 languages. In Argentina alone, over 20 million copies have been sold. 

A new moving-image version is now in the works. Streaming platform Netflix has announced it will launch an animated series directed by renowned Argentine director Juan José Campanella, the Oscar-winner behind Los secretos en sus ojos (“The Secret in Their Eyes”).

Mafalda, it seems, is still a phenomenon. But not just on paper – she is also travelling the world. 

Last weekend, one of a series of sculptures by Pablo Irrgang was inaugurated at the Jardín de las Artes de la Fundación Cultural in Santiago, Chile.

“I’m taking little Mafaldas around the world … if memory serves, this is the 10th one,” he explained at the opening.

The 80-centimetre-high sculpture shows the short-haired girl with a fringe donning a red dress, although colours change in the other cities where the work may be found, such as Lima, Caracas or Barcelona.

“Mafalda is like a symbol of those ideals prompted by this girl pushing for peace, rebellious, non-conformist, a symbol of my generation,” pointed out Irrgang, who will place more sculptures in Mexico City, Madrid and São Paulo this year. 

Yet Irrgang does not only want to be in the squares of the world, but also intends to reach the UN. 

“In the comic strips, Mafalda always said she wanted to be a United Nations interpreter to change speakers’ message as an interpreter and foster peace. With ‘Quino’ we said it as a joke and now I’m taking it on as a real challenge,” explained Irrgang. 

Mafalda is constantly reinventing herself to “reach new audiences,” explained Damián Kirzner, president of Newsock, the producer behind the “Mafalda Inmersiva” project.

The exhibition is a tour of different rooms depicting the life of the comic book character, making use of the resources afforded by the technology of virtual reality, augmented reality, holograms, among others. 

It is scheduled to open in Buenos Aires in the first half of 2026.

“You’ll be able to enter Mafalda’s flat or Manolito’s grocery store [another character in the comic strip],” said Kirzner.