MemÃn PinguÃn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Racial issues
While MemÃn suffers a degree of racist taunting, especially in the first issues, the characters mocking him are depicted as either cruel or ignorant. As the story progresses, his race becomes less of an issue.
In one famous issue, MemÃn, having read that Cleopatra VII of Egypt took milk baths to lighten her skin, tries the same treatment. His mother weeps with sorrow that her son would want to change his skin color. A repentant MemÃn decides to be proud of his race and color to honor his good mother.
In another, MemÃn decides not to receive Communion at his church, after a cruel boy tells him blacks are not allowed in Heaven, pointing to the lack of black angels in religious paintings as proof (this was inspired by a popular song "Angelitos negros" that asked the same question and a popular Mexican motion picture of 1948 of the same name). MemÃn reasons that, since he is going to Hell anyway, he can do any mischief he wants. This prompted some Roman Catholic priests to boycott the magazine. After sales plummeted in response to the boycott, an issue was published in which MemÃn's friends, with the aid of the church priest, paint one of the angels in the church black; MemÃn returns to church and dreams of becoming an angel.
In yet another adventure called "LÃos Gordos"[2] MemÃn and his friends travel to Texas to play soccer. They go for a chocolate milkshake, but the place refuses to sell to MemÃn, because it doesn't serve "Negroes". His friends stand up for him, get into a fight, and end up in jail.[3]