The history of a little brazilian ant: material culture in evangelical children's media in brazil, 1980s—present

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes the Evangelical media for children produced in Brazil (Latin America) since the 1980s from a cultural history perspective. It presents a case study of the cartoon character Smilingüido, a little ant created by Brazilian Evangelicals in the 1980s, which has been the best selling Christian product for children in the last twenty-five years. The focus is on the mass material culture of this character, its uses and the interpretations made by its consumers in their daily lives, through the analysis of a sample of correspondence sent in the early 1990s to the character's creator. Planned as a Christian and wholesome alternative to the secular entertainment media, the character Smilingüido has been used to illustrate several products used for evangelization, instruction, identification and communication, whose meanings are conferred by both its producers and its consumers, demonstrating how Brazilian Evangelicals create and maintain an Evangelical culture in their everyday lives, in a context of consumer society.