The series originated in a comic strip first published by the newspaper Folha da Manhã in 1959, in which the protagonists were Blu (Bidu) and Franklin (Franjinha),[2] however, in the following years the series was shaped towards its current identity with the introduction of new characters such as Monica (Mônica) and Jimmy Five (Cebolinha) who became the new protagonists.

[3] The stories revolve around a group of children who live in a fictional neighborhood in São Paulo known as Lemon Tree District (Bairro do Limoeiro) which has a street with the same name called Lemon Tree Street (Rua do Limoeiro) where Monica and her several friends live, inspired by the neighborhood of Cambuí in Campinas and the city of Mogi das Cruzes, where Mauricio spent his childhood.

[4] Although the title of the franchise mainly refers to the core group of children who live on Lemon Tree Street, it's also used as an umbrella title who encompasses other works created by Mauricio throughout his career such as Chuck Billy 'n' Folks, Tina's Pals, Lionel's Kingdom, Bug-a-Booo, The Cavern Clan, Bubbly the Astronaut, Horacio's World, The Tribe, and others, since stories from these series are frequently published in comics focused in characters such as Monica, Jimmy Five, Smudge, Maggy and Chuck Billy.

[9] Maurício de Sousa, then-reporter for Folha da Manhã, in 1959, decided to enter the field of comics hitherto disputed in the country.

[10] So to avoid further controversy, in 1963 Monica was created, initially as a supporting character in the Jimmy Five strips (at first as the Specs' little sister) based on Mauricio's real daughter Mônica Sousa.

Other media have strengthened over the years and Monica-branded merchandise were launched, with products like books, toys, discs, CD-ROM and video games.

Often Jimmy Five makes plans against her with various traps, sometimes using Franklin's inventions or talking Smudge into helping, but he always loses to Monica at the end.

Smudge's stories often focus on his penchant for dirt and mess and his fear of water, having never bathed in his life, and constantly being threatened by villains or his friends to take a shower, with him always succeeding in not getting wet and staying dirty.

The stories with Maggy generally focus on her gluttony, with a superhuman ability to eat more than a normal person without ever getting fat and sometimes stealing food from her friends.

Among the villains are Captain Fray, a supervillain with the power to control garbage and dirt, and Lord Raider, a space rabbit whose first appearance was in the movies.

After being introduced on television as advertising-boys in TV advertisements from the mid-1960s, complete stories began to be produced in 1976 and distributed through film-compilations during the 1980s and 1990s (initially released in movies in cinema in the 1980s and then directly to video in the 1990s).

In addition to the animations, the characters also starred in two animated feature films who presents bigger stories instead of short compilations; these are: "The Princess and the Robot" (1984) and "Monica's Gang in an Adventure in Time" (2007) - as well as two TV and video specials in live-action: "Mônica e Cebolinha: No Mundo de Romeu e Julieta" (1979) and "A Rádio do Chico Bento" (1989).

On October 7, 2013, the series premiered on Cartoon Network in the interprograma format, debuting two episodes a week and airing at various times.

When Jimmy Five's dog, Fluffy, is abruptly abducted, the children must unite and eventually overcome their differences while facing new adventures on the way so they can bring their loyal friend back home.

The movie presents Giulia Benite as Monica, Kevin Vechiatto as Jimmy Five, Laura Rauseo as Maggy and Gabriel Moreira as Smudge.

[22][23] In 2017, the Vamos Brincar com a Turma da Mônica series was announced during the Comic Con Experience in São Paulo.

In the 1990s, MSP released three CD-ROMs with short stories complemented by minigames: Mônica Dentuça (1995), Cebolinha e Floquinho (1996) and A Roça do Chico Bento (1998).

The idea was to create a series of eight puzzle games, but due to the end of the island[clarification needed] the project was canceled.

[35] An amusement park themed with Mauricio de Sousa's characters is located at the Eldorado Shopping in São Paulo.

[37] In the late 60s a line of dolls with characters Monica, Jimmy Five, Thunder, Horacio and Lucinda was manufactured by Trol Company, this was the first merchandising of the franchise.

[39] In addition to Cica, Mauricio has formed long-lasting partnerships, providing his characters for a series of food products such as alfajores, pasta, cookies, etc.

[41][42] In 1994 Mauricio formed a partnership with the fruit company Fischer to sell small selected apples to children with their characters printed on the packaging.

[43] Monica and Friends and related works have been published in 40 countries in 14 languages, including Spanish, Greek and Japanese.

[47] In China the comics were distributed to schools in 2007, receiving years later adaptation of the cartoon, in 2011 one of the albums was awarded to children's literature.