His name is Alessandro Perugini, he lives in Arezzo, but everyone knows him as Pera Toons. The cartoonist has seven million followers on social media and has published fourteen books (with three million copies sold). His signature is the ability to address the little ones lightly, through some jokes and a lot of sympathy. Now it arrives on television with the animated series Try not to laugh, from 18 May on Rai Gulp and RaiPlay. «It’s a dream come true. In recent years everything seems very fast to me, but we have worked hard on it, also with the support of my publisher Tunuè, who has always followed me. The target was precisely the screen. We created 46 six-minute episodes. Inside there are many jokes: a selection of my best and many unpublished ones”, explains Perugini.
How was Pera Toons born?
«First I invented another character: Kenny. I was thinking about it this morning as I took my daughter to school. By now parents know what I do and ask me a lot of questions. Kenny is bald, it’s on my logo. He was born in 2017. I had focused on the puzzles to solve, in which he was always the victim. Then I realized that I needed a counterpart, a detective. And so we arrived at Pera, which is me. Brown hair, quiff, same way of dressing: dark blue jeans and white shoes. Now they are protagonists in all my adventures.”
What differences exist between Alessandro Perugini and Pera Toons?
«Good question. Maybe they’re coming together. I feel like signing “Pera Toons” when I have documents in front of me. We’re not that different. From a personal point of view, I try not to bring my problems, my negative feelings into Pera Toons. I am convinced that laughing is truly the solution to everything, it is medicine. Pera Toons is my cure for the greyness of every day. The basis of every therapy is a smile, like when I sign copies: seven hours without even going to the bathroom, with aching arms and facial paresis. But in the end you’re happy.”
Is it true that your great passions are family, swimming and holidays?
«My pillars were my parents and grandparents. They made me a happy person. Over time I have tried to propose the same beautiful things again, even when I got married. I love traveling with my loved ones. Furthermore, I believe in the strength of sport, which supported me when I was little. And it’s done me a lot of good since I took it again.”
Was your first fan your father?
«He has always been close to me in my desire to be a cartoonist. But not only that: he helped me drive the car when I had the pink slip. He taught me to believe in myself, he inspired confidence, as if nothing was impossible. He never doubted me, as did my mother. Now there is my wife who is fundamental: she keeps me grounded and always helps me, especially when I’m under pressure. Let’s be each other’s sidekick. She likes my way of making people laugh, which I’ve adopted since I was in middle school. I never hide my irony: I make jokes straight away, it’s take it or leave it. I said to the Italian ambassador in Germany: “Ambasciator doesn’t carry a pen”, because he didn’t have anything to write. I only understood later what position he held.”
Does your daughter always enjoy your jokes?
«He criticizes me, he knows how to advise me. Her name is Arianna, she is nine years old. She’s very good at drawing, and she sees me do it all day. It’s as if she were a colleague: she expresses her opinion on colors and shapes. Everything I do is for her too, to see her smile. It’s important. Regardless of the content, to address children you need to treat them as equals. They have the superpower to move past the bad things. They are like sponges, they know how to rework them, protect themselves. You win them over with humor, with light-heartedness, even when dealing with serious topics. This is how you get their attention. Then we need to establish a dialogue, once again create mutual trust. Often my humor is complex, not immediate even for adults. But I want to nurture the capacity for reflection, and above all I want to immerse myself in their world. We are reborn with new eyes. The challenge is to give life to a language that knows no boundaries, in which the key to understanding is good humor.”
