Cri-Cri, El Grillito Cantor: “The Singing Cricket”

Frida Sofía Morales Mora Social Media Editor

Content warning: anti-black violence

Most of us are familiar with the beloved character Jiminy Cricket, from Disney’s 1940 animated classic, Pinocchio . A charming little cricket, full of cheer and song, who acts as the conscience for a little wooden boy. What is more iconic and most representative of Disney’s magic than Pinochio’s opening credit sequence, where we hear the sweet voice of Jiminy Cricket singing, “When You Wish Upon a Star”? However, many of you might be surprised to know that this singing cricket actually has a predecessor, one ten years his senior.

In 1934, the character of CriCri was created by one of Mexico’s greatest composers, Francisco Galibondo Soler, for his program on XEW, which is one of Mexico’s oldest radio stations. Soler would take on the persona of the singing cricket and sing fantastical, humorous, and cheerful stories. By the 1940s, his songs and stories grew so massively popular that Walt Disney approached Soler to buy the rights for the character. Disney wanted to bring Cri-Cri over to American audiences, and produce works featuring the singing cricket similar to the film The Three Caballeros . However, Soler famously refused his offer, as he was a firm believer that Cri-Cri’s legacy would be for Mexican children. But what is this legacy?

Francisco Galibondo Soler was born in 1907 in Orizaba, Veracruz. The stories he read in his youth from the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, and Aesop’s fables inspired many of his own stories. For instance, many of Soler’s stories often feature anthropomorphic animals.

It was on October 15, 1934 that Soler sang his fantastical songs on the radio for the first time. After his first few sessions, Soler created the character of Cri-Cri following a suggestion from his art director. Soler was originally granted a 15 minute program on XEW station that was only intended to last for a few weeks. Instead, it spread like wildfire, filling a previously untouched niche for children’s entertainment. It was such a hit that the program lasted for almost 27 years, and the name CriCri (which became synonymous with Soler) became a household name. Cri-Cri’s legacy has lasted beyond the end of the program in 1961, and even beyond Soler’s death in 1990.

When he sang, children listened. For a brief time, they could be transported to the whimsical world of Soler’s creation filled with lovable