Milko Bambič (26 April 1905 – 20 May 1991)[1] also known by the nicknames Cvetanov and Banetov,[2] was a prolific illustrator, cartoonist, caricaturist, inventor, children's writer, publicist, and painter from the Slovene minority in Italy (1920-1947).
[2] He is known for the first Slovene comic strip Little Negro Bu-ci-bu,[4] an allegory of Mussolini's career,[4] and as the creator of the Three Hearts (Tri srca) brand, still used today by Radenska.
[3] Bambič published his children's story on Buci-Bu, a black king who with his false wisdom leads his people to ruin.
[5] Because the Italian Fascist authorities recognised the message as politically motivated, Bambič had to leave Trieste for Yugoslavia to avoid arrest.
[7] He was bestowed with the Marcello Mascherini Award in 1975, and in 1978 held an exhibition in the Sežana library that raised interest in him in Slovene circles.
In addition to his comic strips and caricatures, he also produced the first Slovene youth book in colour lithography, St. Nicholas's Night, written by Josip Ribičič.