Juan Bobo

Juan Bobo is a folkloric character on the island of Puerto Rico. For nearly two centuries a collection of books, songs, riddles and folktales have developed around him. Hundreds of children's books have been written about Juan Bobo in English and Spanish. Juan Bobo stories are used as instructional models in public school districts and libraries throughout the United StatesScholastic Books, Juan Bobo series, Grades K-2 Retrieved 2013-05-29. and on PBS Television.Chicago PBS; WTTW TV; Juan Bobo and the Pig Retrieved 2013-05-29.

Each story illustrates an aspect of Puerto Rican life and traditions – as Juan goes to church, to work, the store, the town market, and deals with characters and events that typify the Puerto Rican spirit. For this reason, the Juan Bobo stories have been viewed as a "folkloric information system."Juan Bobo: A Folkloric Information System; by Sarai Lastra; Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1999 Retrieved 2013-05-29. Often a trickster and sometimes a fool, Juan Bobo is comparable to "Foolish John" who cannot get anything right, and Amelia Bedelia who follows instructions to a fault. Sent off by his mother to find work, Juan Bobo causes one disaster after another and always loses his payment.Juan Bobo Goes to Work; by Marisa Montes; Rayo pub.; September 2000 In a typical Juan Bobo story, his mother asks him to clean up a pig so that she will fetch a higher price in the town market. Instead, Juan Bobo dresses her for church in his mother's Sunday clothes, complete with lipstick and high heels.

Although the name "Bobo" implies stupidity or oaf-like behavior, the ostensible naiveté of Juan Bobo points to a hidden virtue or helpful way to approach life. As in Aesop's Fables, the stories often have obvious morals that suggest how people should live and how cultures should interact.Juan Bobo Stories; The Wheel Council, Inc., pub; 1997–2001. Retrieved 2013-05-29.

As the trickster character in Puerto Rican folklore and oral tradition, Juan Bobo is part of a larger tradition that spans several world cultures. Many of the tales have nearly identical plot points in stories from India, China, Turkey, and traditions in Africa and North America.

Historic and literary roots The Juan Bobo tales originally migrated from Spain in an oral tradition influenced by the Spanish picaresque novels (Lazarillo de Tormes; Don Quijote) and Wise Fool tales.Anon, Lazarillo de Tormes, in: Two Spanish Picaresque Novels, Trans. Michael Alpert. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1969.Maravall, José Antonio. La Literatura Picaresca desde la Historia Social (Siglos XVI al XVII). Madrid: Taurus Ediciones, 1987. Published anonymously in 1554, El Lazarillo de Tormes is often viewed as the first modern novel, and "picaresque" became the first genre – a genre of realistic fiction in which the pícaro (the rogue) is the central character.Parker, A. A. Literature and the Delinquent: the Picaresque Novel in Spain and Europe: 1599–1753. Edinburgh University Press, 1967.Juan Bobo, Postcoloniality and Frantz Fanon's Theory of Violence; by Enid Sepúlveda Rodríguez; Colorado State University Press, 2007;

The pícaros are unlikely and delinquent heroes – living by their wits among corrupt priests and prostitutes, beggars and idle gentlemen, thieves, tricksters and murderers.Benito-Vessels, Carmen, and Michael Zappala, Eds. The Picaresque: A Symposium on the Rogue's Tale. Newark, NJ: University of Delaware Press / London & Toronto: Associated University Presses, 1994.

The Juan Bobo stories incorporate all of these elements – as Juan the pícaro roams the Puerto Rican countryside, moving from job to job, and disaster to disaster. Though Juan and his pícaro tricks constitute the main story interest, the satirical comments on various trades and professions give a wealth of information on the social, political and religious fabric of Puerto Rico.

As Paul Bunyan is identified with the US, Robin Hood with England, and El Zorro with Mexico – Juan Bobo, the beloved noodlehead, is the perennial folk hero of Puerto Rico.

Distribution Children's books and educational uses

Juan Bobo children's books have been published in the U.S. and throughout the world. Juan Bobo stories have been published by numerous publishers, including HarperCollins, Dutton Children's Books, and Scholastic Books. The stories are used as elementary school teaching books,Juan Bobo Goes to Work; Teaching Books Retrieved 2013-05-29 for bilingual language programs,Language, Space and Power: A Critical Look at Bilingual Education, pp. 169–216; by Sabina Hadi-Tabassum; Multilingual Matters Ltd. Pub., 2006; Tonawanda, NY and in Spanish-language studies throughout the United States among others. In 1962, New York City librarian Pura Belpré authored a novel based on the Juan Bobo character, titled Juan Bobo and the Queen's Necklace: A Puerto Rican Folk Tale.

General book sales Stories portraying Juan Bobo are known in many countries, from the United States to Central and South America, the Caribbean, Spain and the Philippines. Juan Bobo books are sold in Great Britain.Book Depository; Slough, UK; Juan Bobo: Four Folk Tales Retrieved 29-05-2013. The National Library Board of Singapore maintains a listing of Juan Bobo books.National Board of Singapore; Juan Bobo Legends Retrieved 29-05-2013. In the Philippines, Juan Bobo stories go by the name "Lazy Juan".The House Between Earth and Sky: Harvesting New American Folktales. Joseph Daniel Sobol. p.136. Teacher Ideas Press. 2005. Retrieved 17 March 2014.

In U.S. media Newspapers around the U.S. regularly run Juan Bobo stories.San Angelo Standard-Times; Juan Bobo's Pot: A Folktale from Puerto Rico; 30 July 2011 Retrieved 16-06-2013. The Juan Bobo character has made frequent appearances on U.S. television, radio, and the internet. In 2005, he appeared on Nickelodeon in the Dora the Explorer series.Nickelodeon. IMDB, A Crown for King Bobo. Aired October 23, 2005 Retrieved 2013-05-29 The episode was titled A Crown for King Juan el Bobo, and Juan Bobo was voiced by Cheech Marin.IMDB, A Crown for King Bobo Retrieved 2013-05-29. On U.S. public television, the Juan Bobo stories are used by PBS stations in Alabama, Arkansas, California, Chicago, Iowa, and the nationwide PBS Learning Media system.PBS Media, Juan Bobo and the Pig Retrieved 2013-05-29 Currently, Juan Bobo stories and radio dramas are regularly broadcast over radio stations in Puerto Rico. Juan Bobo CDs are also sold on the island and in the United States,Highpoint Library, Juan Bobo CDs Retrieved 2013-05-29.Juan Bobo's Pot. Times-Herald Record. August 1, 2011. Retrieved 2013-05-29. as well as Juan Bobo MP3 downloads.Juan Bobo MP3s, Amazon Retrieved 2013-05-29

Reception and impact The Juan Bobo character has been called an avatar of indigenous morality, a repository of cultural/historical information,Juan Bobo: A Folkloric Information System; by Sarai Lastra; Graduate School of Library and Information Science. University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, 1999 Retrieved 2013-05-29. and a symbol of resistance to colonial oppression. As such, in United States and Puerto Rican universities, the Juan Bobo stories have been preserved and studied for their sociological and political significance. Juan Bobo has also been compared to the syncretic religious system of Santería and the Brazilian martial art of capoeira, for its melding of spiritual strength and resistance into an ostensibly benign art form.

In U.S. popular culture Given the centuries-long history of the Juan Bobo tales, and because Puerto Rico has been a U.S. territory, Juan Bobo has been designated as an American folk character. The American Legends children's books included Juan Bobo in a series of four folkloric books. The other three were Paul Bunyan, John Henry, and Pecos Bill.

In the theatrical arts, in New York City, Theatre Works USA developed and presented a Juan Bobo play, together with a children's study guide in 2008. The Teatro Círculo Theater Company mounted an Off-Broadway production of The Mischievous Juan Bobo in 2006. Also in 2006, the Open Eye Theater in Minneapolis performed The Adventures of Juan Bobo. This was followed in 2009, by the University Theater of Northeastern Illinois University presented a Juan Bobo play titled Señora Tortuga.Señora Tortuga; Northeastern Illinois University; Fall 2009 Retrieved 2013-05-29.

Children's theater companies enact the Juan Bobo stories, often in the form of puppet plays.Cactus Head Puppets; April 2013 Retrieved 2013-05-29.Time Out New York; April 2013; The Encounter of Juan Bobo and Pedro Animal Retrieved 2013-05-29.

In New York City, a group of grade school children made a Juan Bobo animated film, and children's Juan Bobo play scripts are available.Creative Educational Systems; Juan Bobo play scripts Retrieved 2013-05-29 A float with Juan Bobo characterizations was also part of the 156thPonce se viste de carnaval. Reinaldo Millán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 32. Issue 1578. Page 6. 26 February 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014. Carnaval de Ponce on 2 March 2014 in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Atrae miles Desfile del Carnaval Ponceño. Sandra Torres Guzmán. La Perla del Sur. Ponce, Puerto Rico. Year 32. Issue 1579. Page 11. 5 March 2014. Retrieved 5 March 2014.

Internationally The Chilean actor/singer Antonio Prieto sang a popular Juan Bobo ballad in recognition of the folkloric character.Música Fusión, Juan Bobo Retrieved 2013-05-29 On May 4, 2012, the School Librarians Association of Puerto Rico created an all-day special event in Villalba in homage and recognition of Juan Bobo and his legacy.

Juan Bobo

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