Tribute to Mauricio de Sousa's 90th birthday Sergio Barzaghi/SP City Hall The city of São Paulo gained a new official mascot: Paulistinha. Created by cartoonist Mauricio de Sousa, the news was announced by City Hall on Friday (12), as part of the celebrations for the cartoonist's 90th birthday. At the age of 9, Paulistinha was created as a tribute to the city where Mauricio has lived since 1954. According to City Hall, the character represents the spirit of São Paulo, he is curious, is always aware of news and likes to discover different places, people and stories. According to Marcos Saraiva, executive president of the Mauricio de Sousa Institute and Mauricio's grandson, the author himself wanted to repay the honor received from the city with the creation of the mascot. This year, the cartoonist's work was recognized as intangible cultural heritage of the city of São Paulo. Now on g1 In addition to the launch of Paulistinha, the program includes a free parade at the Anhembi Sambódromo, on June 28th, expected to bring together around 30 thousand people. The show will have four floats, more than 400 artists and characters from Turma da Mônica, portraying different moments in Mauricio de Sousa's career. As a permanent legacy of the celebrations, the City Hall also promises to install, by the end of this month, a bronze bench in front of Trianon Park, on Avenida Paulista. The sculpture will feature Mauricio sitting next to eight of his best-known characters: Mônica, Cebolinha, Magali, Cascão, Milena, Chico Bento, Horácio and Bidu. The celebrations also include the installation of giant inflatables and 91 sculptures inspired by the cartoonist's characters spread across parks, squares, libraries and cultural centers in the capital. The program includes storytelling workshops and the free distribution of thousands of comic books and books for children and families. Tribute to Mauricio de Sousa's 90th birthday Sergio Barzaghi/SP City Hall