The Argentinian character brand, Mafalda, has struck up a series of licensed fashion partnerships with some of the biggest names in the global industry, including Zara, Zara Kids, Pull & Bear, and Women’s Secret.

Brokered by the brand’s global licensing agency, El Ocho Licencias y Promociones, Mafalda has also secured partnerships with key retailers in Europe, including Carrefour, Alcampo, and El Corte Ingles which have each launched DTR collection for 2020 and 2021.

First published in 1964 in Primera Plana Newspapaer in Buenos Aires by Joaquin Salvador Lavado Tejon, Mafalda has grown an audience over the past 56 years that has, within the last two decades, seen books translated into 20 languages and sold in over 50 countries. To date, more than 1.5 million books have sold across the globe.

Mafalda is recognised as one of the leading classic licensed brands in Iberia and in all of Europe and Mafalda’s shirts and sweaters are among the best sellers for Pull & Bear as of March 2021.

“Mafalda is the little who hates soup and worries excessively about everything that happens in the world, always with the hope that one day, everything will be fixed and world peace will be achieved,” read a statement from El Ocho. “The [recent sales] results prove that Mafalda is completely timeless, as the philosophy of the main characters is still relevant in the crazy world we live on.”

El Ocho’s strategy for licensing the character brand is to preserve the work of its creator, Tejon, while developing partnerships across product categories including gifting, back to school, plush, footwear, apparel, and more.