Topo Gigio

The character, created in 1958 by artist Maria Perego, her husband Federico Caldura and fellow artist Guido Stagnaro,[1][2] debuted on RAI in 1959 and has been customarily voiced by actor Giuseppe "Peppino" Mazzullo and later Davide Garbolino.

His name literally translates to 'Louie Mouse', as topo is the Italian word for 'mouse' and Gigio is a nickname for Luigi ('Louis').

[3] Topo Gigio was popular in Italy for many years: not only on TV, but also in comics, such as the classical Corriere dei Piccoli, cartoons, merchandising and films.

He performs regularly at Zecchino d'Oro festival and other programs created by Antoniano and RAI.

The puppet has made appearances and has a fan base in many other countries—including Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Ecuador, Guatemala, Japan, Mexico,[4] Nicaragua, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Spain, Uruguay, Venezuela and the former Yugoslavia.