Discover how Sennina came about, a character inspired by one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers: Ayrton Senna!
F1 race pilot, Ayrton Senna He became more than an athlete, becoming a national idol for all ages. So much so, that his legacy on the track served as inspiration for the creation of a character that would help transmit values such as persistence, dedication and overcoming to children of various generations: Senninha.
Designed specifically for children, Senninha was created in the early 90s by the visual and advertising artist Rogério Martins next to the illustrator Ridaut Dias Jr.
I started writing about the universe, thinking about a whole project for Senninha. Senninha is not just a character, a drawing. We thought of a company to translate Ayrton’s messages, his image, for the children’s world”, said Rogério Martins to Aventuras na História.
The idea was presented to the Senna in 1991, a period in which Rogerio states that the brand Ayrton Senna was beginning, giving even more strength to the Senninha project. “That’s why they found it interesting, it was a moment when the Ayrton I was already thinking about what he would do when he stopped running”, he explained.
The creative process involved the involvement of Senna, who already wanted to create a project aimed at children. In this way, he became responsible for approving the stories, which also had the collaboration of his mother Ayrton, Neyde da Silvawhich provided details of the pilot’s childhood to the artists, as explained by Marcio Pettaart director at the Ayrton Senna Institute, in a video presentation of the project’s history.
It is worth remembering that, more than a figure that portrays the ideals of SennaSenninha also emerged as a form of Ayrton officialize his support for social causes, a desire maintained to this day, 30 years after Ayrton’s death (April 1, 1994), as part of the profits obtained from the character are directed to the Ayrton Senna Institute.
Thus, in 1994 the character was finally launched through a comic book entitled “Senninha e Sua Turma”, which were distributed free of charge in schools and National Bank branches and then hit newsstands with fortnightly editions.
The story followed Senninha, a young boy who had the dream of becoming an F1 driver, and who, while trying to make his wish come true, lived several adventures with his friends.
At the time, the character had physical and personality characteristics similar to those of Sennasince, in addition to being courageous and good-humored, the influences of the character’s inspiration even appeared in the clothes he wore, since, at first, he wore a blue jumpsuit, in reference to the one worn by Ayrton at that time, as he was a driver for Mansell’s Williams.
As a result of the success of the comics, doors were opened for an even bigger media franchise, as Senninha became the protagonist of the Zupt series, and was transformed into a cartoon with the title “Senninha em Dia de Change”, released in partnership with TV Cultura and then as a game character.
In addition, Senninha has also become a recurring figure in various educational materials and marketable products that receive the approval of Sena Brands, a company created and maintained by the three-time world champion’s family.
This year, Senninha completes 30 years of release and, to celebrate, several special contents will be released, one of them being the special episode “O pilotinho do Futuro”, where the character accelerates at such a great speed that he enters a time tunnel , revisiting its trajectory alongside the first version, released in 1994.
Source: Recreio
