El Chavo del Ocho: Difference between revisions

[[File:vecindario-chavo.jpg|frame]]

 

 

 

 

 

The main ensemble consists of:

* '''Quico''' (also written '''Kiko'''): A pampered and bratty kid with a mean streak. Fortunately, he is [[The Ditz|too dumb]] to cause real harm, or be a threat to begin with. Obsessed with getting a "square ball." Mocked for his gigantic cheeks, and his deep stupidity. Delights in one-upping Chavo; whenever he spots Chavo playing with a simple home-made toy, Quico will within moments show up with an obscenely flashy, store-bought version of the same.

* '''La Chilindrina''': A mischevious girl, who lives to get some advantage from others, even the adults. Identifiable by her twin pigtails, her glasses and her freckles. Mocked for her short height, and the fact that she is less pretty than other girls her age (and her attitude makes her looks worse). Named after a "freckled" Mexican pastry. By far the smartest kid in the show.

* '''Doña Florinda''': A young widow who believes herself to be superior, both morally and monetarily, to her neighbors. The [[Alpha Bitch]] grown up, only fallen and with perpetual hair curlers. Pampers her son (Quico) to a ridiculous extent; she often defends him by [[Armor-Piercing Slap|slapping]] Don Ramón, whom she perceives as a child abuser. A perception caused by misunderstandings she would never allow him to clarify. Has a [[No Hugging, No Kissing]] romance with Profesor Jirafales.

* '''Profesor Jirafales''': The kids' elementary teacher, [[Only Sane Man|a very educated man]] with [[Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness]]. The [[Straight Man]], with relatively little patience. Mocked for his height, is often callen "Maestro Longaniza" (which roughly translates as "teacher Longsausage"). His name is also a word play on the word ''jirafa''(hee-rah-fah), meaning giraffe. Has a [[No Hugging, No Kissing|chaste relationship]] with Doña Florinda.

* '''La Popis''': Quico's cousin, she's not as stupid as him (nobody is), but decidedly [[The Ditz|ditzy]], her recurring advice whenever someone was insulted by someone else was "tell on him to your mom!". When he and Chilindrina left the show, she took over their parts. Has a doll that serves as a foil for jokes.

* '''Ñoño''': (pronounced "Nyonyo") The son of Sr. Barriga, and as fat as his father (played by the same actor as well.) Very book smart and well-behaved. Since he has a stabler home and higher income than the neighborhood kids, he's portrayed as more naive than they are.

* '''Jaimito the mailman''': An old mailman, often too tired to do his work. He was given a bicycle by the post office that hired him, which makes his work harder because he can't ride a bicycle and can't let his employers know it. Took Don Ramón's place in the later years. Initially sweet-natured and mildly senile, he eventually took on Don Ramón's less sympathetic characteristics when he became his [[Suspiciously Similar Substitute]].

 

Depite its [[Creator Provincialism|excessive regionalism]], its [[Viewers are Morons|lack of "sophistication"]] and its very dated appearance, the show is still very popular in syndication and has been a staple of TV channels in almost all Central and South American countries ([[And Zoidberg|And Spain]]) for years. Many people watch it for the nostalgia factor, but others watch because of a [[This Loser Is You|deep identification with the struggle of the characters]]. In Brazil, it is so popular that when the channel that broadcasted it [[Executive Meddling|tried to cut it from their schedule]] after almost twenty years of uninterrupted transmission, the public reacted with such outrage that they had to restore it almost immediately. There's also an anual El Chavo Fans Meeting.

 

 

 

* [[Abhorrent Admirer]]: Doña Clotilde

* [[Agony of the Feet]]: One episode revolved around Mr. Barriga having a painful corn in one of his feet. [[Hilarity Ensues|Hilarity ensued]] when the kids accidentally hurt his foot too many times! At the end of the episode, Don Ramón [[Here We Go Again|ended up having one]], too.

* [[An Aesop]]: Many fans of the show take Don Ramón's teachings by heart. Two famous examples: "Good people should love their enemies" (this touched even Doña Florinda's heart, go figure!), and "[[Cycle of Revenge|Revenge is never complete]]; [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|it kills the soul and poisons it]]" (it's kind of like Gandhi's "an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind").

* [[Animated Adaptation]]

* [[Artifact Title]]: The "del Ocho (8)" part of "El Chavo del Ocho" was there merely to promote the fact that the show aired on Canal 8 (Channel 8). At some point, [[Channel Hop|the show moved to Canal 2]] and the series title was shortened to "El Chavo", but the character was still mentioned with his "last name" in the show and an [[In-Universe]] reason was given that it meant he actually lived in the (never seen) Apartment 8, rather than the barrel he uses as hideout. In syndication, the title is always "El Chavo", yet the show is still most commonly known by the full name.

* [[As Himself]]: The actors have often commented how Don Ramón was pretty much Ramón Valdés without a stable income.

* [[Big "Shut Up!"]]: Quico usually yells one to El Chavo whenever he wouldn't stop talking. It's one of his [[Catch Phrase|Catch Phrases]] ("¡¡¡Aaaay, cállate, cállate, cállate, cállate, que me desespeeeeras!!!"/"Oooh, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, you're driving me craazyy!!!").

** He once even did this ''to himself''.

* [[Bindle Stick]]

* [[The Blank]]: "Cow Eating Grass". What grass? The cow ate it. The cow? Went to the bathroom (or it just left, depending on the episode).

* [[The Cast Showoff]]

* [[Catch Phrase]]: a lot. Listing them all would require a page ''only for this trope''.

''(goes in front of Don Ramón)'' '''"¡Chusma, chusma, [[Blowing a Raspberry|prrrf!]]"''' ''(pushes him and gets away)'' "Riffraff, riffraff, prrrf!" }}

** [[Borrowed Catchphrase]]: happened sometimes, too. One example is when Señor Barriga stumbles at (and totals) El Chavo's refreshment stand: he yells "¡Tenía que ser el Señor Barriga!" in frustration! And, in a typical Chavo manner, he responds "Fué sin querer quierendo..." (roughly, "I didn't mean to mean to do it...").

** Usually when he's been REALLY humiliated, Don Ramón cries with a high-pitched "eeeeeeeeeeeee" and always put one hand over one of his eyes.

** Ñoño cries with an ''"Ehi-AH! Ehi-AH! Ehi-AH!"'' sound like a bird.

* [[Comedic Sociopathy]]

* [[Continuity Nod]]: In an episode, Don Ramón breaks his TV in rage because he thought it malfunctioned. In the next few episodes when he's idle in the scene, he can be seen repairing the TV in his house.

* [[Costume Inertia]]: some characters initially wore different clothes; but once they find the "iconic" look, never changed again.

* [[Creator Provincialism]]: the show makes no attempt to avoid Spanish vocabulary that's used only in Mexico. Most Spanish speakers can guess the meaning most of the time, which makes the show almost completely comprehensible, but it still routinely uses some vocabulary incomprehensible to non-Mexicans—words like ''guajolote'', ''tejolote''.

* [[The Danza]]: Florinda Meza as Doña Florinda, Ramón Valdés as Don Ramón and Maria Antonieta de las Nieves as Doña Nieves.

** Chespirito liked to do this, because he felt the actors would be more connected to their characters this way. Same went for many of them when they played extras in ''[[El Chapulin Colorado]]'', which used the same cast.

* [[Deathbringer the Adorable]]: Doña Clotilde has the very bad habit of naming her puppies "Lucifer" or "Satan". This, of course, scares the crap out of the overhearing kids, who already believed her to be a witch.

* [[Department of Redundancy Department]]

** [[The Sixth Ranger]]: Jaimito

* [[Fleeting Demographic Rule]]: For Chespirito, it's generally a three year rule, although sometimes a story would only get one season off before being repeated.

* [[Friends Rent Control]]: Subverted. Don Ramón's apartment is the opposite of luxurious, but there's still no way he should be able to afford to live there. It's just that Señor Barriga continually pardons him the unpaid rent he's accumulated (a particular example doubled as [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming]]).

* [[From the Mouths of Babes]]

* [[Full Name Ultimatum]]: Although it almost never happens, Kiko knows he's in trouble if Doña Florinda ever refers to him as "Federico".

* [[Fun with Acronyms]]: Done once when the kids went on "Strike",

'''Chavo''': Yo creí que decía '''E'''l '''M'''aestro '''P'''arece '''L'''onganiza. <ref>[[I Thought It Meant]] The Prof looks like Longsausage.</ref> }}

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: Many times, considering the show. For instance:

** In another instance, when El Chavo was checking up on Chilindrina, who was sick after eating an entire cake:

'''El Chavo:''' And everyone fits? }}

*** One more came when The Profesor wanted to explain something to Don Ramón.

'''Don Ramón''': Oohhh, here we have other name for them. }}

* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: All the female "kids", but most notably La Chilindrina.

* [[Insistent Terminology]]: A few. One is Jirafales' insistence on being addressed as "professor" instead of the less-prestigious "maestro", meaning "teacher". Later on, Doña Florinda is adamant that her business is a "restaurant", since people have a tendency to call it a "fonda", which implies more of a [[Greasy Spoon]] diner (there was even [[Shaped Like Itself|a signpost on it which read "Fonda"]] before she opened her business there).

** Doña Clotilde

* [[Insult Misfire]]: In one episode, Don Ramon entered Professor Jirafales' class claiming he wanted to learn. (He just wanted a place where he'd be safe from Doña Florinda) When El Chavo first saw him there, he believed it was an old kid who looked like Don Ramon. When Don Ramon stated something like "I am, idiot!", El Chavo said they had even that in common.

* [[I Take Offense to That Last One]]: In an instance for example:

'''Quico''': But you're not a dirty-mouth! }}

* [[I Was Just Joking]]

* [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Even Doña Florinda gets [[Pet the Dog]] moments here and there.

** It is heavily implied that the only reason why El Chavo survives [[Tear Jerker|is because the entire adult cast takes turns to feed him and shelter him,]] [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|despite their own poverty]].

* [[The Klutz]]: El Chavo

* [[Kung Foley]]: With ''bell sounds''.

* [[Lamarck Was Right]]: Chilindrina's nervous laugh when she's embarrassed is exactly the same as her dad's.

** Doña Nieves also cries in the exact same manner as her great granddaughter.

* [[Large Ham]]: QUICO.

** When given enough power, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilELFKNcONo&feature=related Don Ramón becomes] one. Hamming at 2:45

* [[Last-Second Word Swap]]

* [[Laugh Track]]: ''El Chavo'' went through phases of laugh tracks, the two major ones being when it had an old and very unconvincing sounding laugh track, and the later years when the laugh track was eliminated at the beginning of the 80's "out of respect for the audience".

** There's also an unofficial laugh track provided by the crew, who occasionally cracked up at the antics of the cast, especially after an ad lib or a blooper. This unfortunately disappeared in later years as the series became more polished and very [[Fleeting Demographic Rule|repetitive]].

* [[Musical Episode]]

* [[My Friends and Zoidberg]]: From an episode where El Chavo and Quico were receiving guitar lessons from Don Ramón and Jirafales respectively:

* [[Napoleon Delusion]]: Don Ramón once faked this to avoid paying the rent.

** And Doña Neves on a remake of that episode -- except she was Jeanne D'Arc.

** There's an episode where Chavo says he has a friend who looks just like him and makes up names until he firmly comes to Chente. It's never clear if he's talking about an imaginary friend, a street pet or himself.

* [[Nonverbal Miscommunication]]

* [[Not Important to This Episode Camp]]: The vencidad tenants went to Acapulco for a vacation. When [[The Landlord]], [[Meaningful Name|Señor Barriga]], learned this from El Chavo, he decided to go there as well and, taking pity from El Chavo, takes him as well. Señor Barriga's son, Ñoño, was at a boy scout camp at the moment and, aside from when his Dad mentioned this as an explanation not to take him to Acapulco, wasn't mentioned in the whole story arc.

* [[Not That There's Anything Wrong with That]]: played both straight and in a non homosexual version.

** [[Just for Pun|Shouldn't that be "both straight and ''in'' a homosexual version"?]]

* [[Offscreen Teleportation]]: [[Played for Laughs]] sometimes with El Chavo.

* [[Only Sane Man]]: Señor Barriga and Profesor Jirafales.

* [[Reset Button]]: Underlines the [[Negative Continuity]].

* [[Retcon]]

* [[Right Behind Me]]

* [[Rule 34]]: Yes, it exists.

* [[Spoof Aesop]]: A gem by Don Ramón: "There's no bad job; the bad thing is having to work."

* [[Spoonerism]]: Sometimes, when talking to Sr. Barriga, Don Ramón would misplace Sr. Barriga's name and one other word of his phrase, driving Sr. Barriga mad since it makes it look like Don Ramón is insulting him for being fat. An example:

* [[Springtime for Hitler]]: one script has El Chavo trying to catch a contagious disease Chilindrina is faking, with the hope that he'll end up in the hospital (where he could have a nice bed and three meals a day). Eventually, everybody contracts the disease... except for El Chavo, who is the most unhappy of them all.

* [[Status Quo Is God]]

* [[The Smart Guy]]: Profesor Jirafales

* [[Transplant]]: Profesor Jirafales originated in an early Chespirito sketch, "Los supergenios de la mesa cuadrada".

** Its written for, at least in Portuguese, is "[[Perfectly Cromulent Word|Chinfurínfula]]".

*** [[Spell My Name with an "S"|Are you sure?]]

* [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]]: The reason Don Ramón doesn't fight back when Doña Florinda slaps him. That and, good luck trying to explain to Profesor Jirafales she's not defenceless. Don Ramón once put a bucket over his head to protect himself from being slapped by Doña Florinda and Professor Jirafales punched him in the gut for this.

* [[You Called Me "X" - It Must Be Serious]]: Whenever Doña Florinda calls Quico "Federico" (his actual name, as "Quico" is a shorthand), he knows she's angry at her.

* [[Your Mom]]: Doña Florinda to Don Ramón after slapping him for doing X to Quico: "Next time, go X your grandma!"

** It occasionally became a rather humorous [[Insult Backfire]] when it happened said lady had actually done something to do with X.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Seventies]]

[[Category:Useful Notes/Mexico]]