David Gonzales

Doris Lessing once commented, “What is a hero without love for mankind.” A hero is someone who makes a difference because they care for all living things. Self-confident, helpful, fearless, and extraordinary are only some qualities of a hero. If you are famous, that does not make you a hero. Ordinary people can be heroes. David Gonzales from Mexico creates cartoons about barrio life. To many, David Gonzales is a hero.

David Gonzales, cartoonist/toy designer, was born in 1964 in Ventura, California. He began drawing comics in high school. David’s schoolmates liked his drawings, so they began asking him to draw comic strips for them. Eventually, he made his way to a magazine called Low Rider where he created a monthly comic strip.

Then in 1998, David introduced the first set of Homies, barrio-life styled mini- dolls. At first, David had trouble selling his Homies because LAPD claimed that Homies glorified gang life, so many stores stopped selling them. But David has stated in numerous interviews that he “did not create the Homies to glamorize gang life.” He then had to recreate Homies. David introduced Los Mijos, another toy he invented that co-related to the Homies when they returned to stores and supermarkets. In 2004, David introduced a toy line that is loosely based on old Italian Mafia legends named The Palermos.

A hero is a role-model, is creative, and has perseverance. David Gonzales has these qualities. He is a role-model because David made cartoons that showed what barrio life is like. David is creative because he created three wonderful toys which he put a lot of work into. He had perseverance because in the beginning when Homies were first introduced, it was rejected. He redesigned it and tried again. David Gonzales is a hero.

In conclusion, heroes are very important. Heroes have accomplished many great deeds. In Mexico, David Gonzales, a cartoonist, is considered a hero. Heroes impact others’ lives. David has!