Mexican American Cartoonist Gus Arriola

Gus Arriola is not a household name in the way that Charles M. Schulz or Al Capp are, nor is his comic strip Gordo as famous as Peanuts or Li'l Abner, but Gus Arriola was a pioneer and his comic strip Gordo would have a lasting influence. Indeed, Gus Arriola was one of the first Mexican American cartoonists.

Gustavo Arriola was born on July 17 1917 in Florence, Arizona. His father had been born in Sonora, Mexico. Gus Arriola's mother died when he was a baby, and as a result he was raised by an old sister whose household only spoke Spanish. Gus Arriola was fascinated by Sunday newspaper comic strips, and he learned English by reading them. As a youngster he enjoyed such comic strips as Katzenjammer Kids, Krazy Kat, Boob McNutt, Polly and Her Pals, and so on. When he was older he discovered E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre with Popeye and Olive Oyl, Roy Crane's Wash Tubbs, and Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates.

When he was eight years old, Gus Arriola's family moved to Los Angeles. There he attended Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. After he graduated from high school he went to work for Charles Mintz, who was producing animated cartoons for Screen Gems. It was in 1939 that he went to work for MGM, where he was a character designer. He was also worked on the story for some cartoons, including "Puss Gets the Boot," the first "Tom and Jerry" cartoon. Among the animated shorts on which he was a character designer was 'The Bookworm" (which marked the first appearance of the character by that name).

It ws while Gus Arriola was still working at MGM that he conceived Gordo. Gordo centred on Mexican bean farmer Perfecto Salazar Lopez, who was nicknamed "Gordo (which can be roughly translated as "Fatso" or "Fatty")." Alongside Gordo, a number of other characters appeared in the comic strip. His nephew was Pepito. Gordo leased his land from Don Ramon, and his housekeeper was Tehuana Mama. Gordo was constantly pursed by the widow Artemisa Rosalinda Gonzalez.His pets included his dog Señor Dog and his cat Poosy Gato, as well as other animals such as the black cat PM and her kitten Bête Noire, and a jazz-loving spider named Bug Rogers. The various animals were noted for often doling out bits of wisdom.

In the early days of the comic strip, Gordo was a common Mexican buffoon stereotype. He was somewhat lazy, spoke in heavily accented English, and wore a sombrero. He resembled Pancho in The Cisco Kid movies and TV show to a great deal.  As might be expected, in its early days, Gordo received a good deal of criticism from Mexican American readers for its stereotypes.  As time went by Gordo began to lose its stereotypical elements. By the 1940s and 1950s Gordo had evolved more towards a humorous adventure comic strip. As Gordo became more popular, Gus Arriola became more aware that as the only comic strip in the United States centered on Mexican characters it should present a more positive image of Mexico and its people.

It was then at 1954 that Don Ramon retired from farming and as a result Gordo lost the lease to his land. A trimmer Gordo then went to work as a tour guide, showing tourists the wonders of Mexico on his bus El Cometa Halley. In addition to giving Americans glimpses of Mexico that Americans might never have seen, the comic strip Gordo also introduced Americans to such Spanish words and phrases as "burrito," "hasta la vista," "piñata," and others. Originally a rather negative stereotype, the character of Gordo became something of an ambassador for Mexican history and culture. In the end Gordo would be honoured by both the Mexican government and the California State Legislature.

While Gordo never achieved the level of popularity of Blondie or Peanuts, it proved to have some longevity. It was two months after the attack on Pearl Harbour that Gus Arriola enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. In the Army he was assigned to its motion picture unit. He continued to do the Gordo  Sunday comic strips, but he would not resume the daily strips until June 14 1946. Ultimately, Gordo would last until March 2 1985, when Gus Arrioloa retired from the comic strip due to the effects of Parkinson's disease.

Gus Arriola died on February 2 2008 at the age of 90. He left behind a legacy that is still being felt to this day. Gordo received the National Cartoonist Society's Humour Comic Strip Award in 1957 and again in 1965. Gus Arriola received the Charles M. Schulz Award from the San Francisco Museum of Comic art for lifetime achievement in 1999. Gordo would have an impact on the comic strips Baldo by Hector Cantú and La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz. When Gus Arriola died, both Baldo and La Cucaracha featured tributes to the legendary cartoonist. While Gordo had begun as a stereotypical look at Mexicans, it eventually became a tool for both understanding and promotion of Mexico.