Cartoon Illustrator Mordillo turns 85

Guillermo Mordillo Menéndez was born in 1932. A child of Spanish immigrants to Argentina, he decided to become an illustrator at a young age. He was first inspired to embark on this career path when he watched Walt Disney's "Snow White" at the cinema.

Young Mordillo was particularly taken by the large noses of Snow White's seven dwarves, and integrated the idea into his own works.

Inspired by Disney's 'Snow White'

After having spent some time living in Lima and New York, Mordillo moved to Paris in the early 1960s, where he had his breakthrough moment. Since he knew no French, his drawings were silent and without any commentary or speech bubbles.

His unintentional minimalist style became his signature and the secret to his success, so he kept the figures depicted in his illustrations wordless. The simple everyday scenes portrayed in his drawings became popular around the world. His career took off especially during the 1970s. His sketches have been featured in newspapers, calendars, puzzles or are even available as stuffed animals.

Mordillo now lives in Monaco, where he occupies himself with drawing caricatures and illustrating children's books. Happy birthday, Mordillo!