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Martins & Dias (Rogerio & Ridaut)

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Artists

The Resume

    Rogerio Della Valle Martins (Apr. 24, 1963- ), advertising executive, publicist
    Ridaut Dias Jr. (Dec. 20, 1964- ), designer for Mauricio de Sousa Productions
    Creators of Senninha, the Brazilian comic book series (launched 1994)
    Based the series' title character on Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna
    Character later became the mascot for the Instituto Ayrton Senna

Why they might be annoying:

    They were labeled the Siegel and Shuster of Brazil.
    They clashed with Ayrton Senna's family estate on a regular basis.
    They claimed to have had a verbal agreement with Senna, but they were without guarantees after his fatal accident.
    Even before the comic's launching, they met resistance from Senna's father - who did not want Ayrton depicted in a cartoon (he was overruled by his son).
    Ridaut left the project, in 1997, and asked for contractual review to obtain royalties, but failed and gave up to follow through with legal action (Rogério left two years later).
    With their departure, the publications of the character were transferred to Brainstore Comics where it died a quiet death within a year.
    In 2008, the comic returned with yet another publisher - this time HQM - but due to poor sales and promotion it was canceled again (after less than eight issues).
    They filed suit for moral damages against Instituto Ayrton Senna but the judge ruled against them. The decision has been pending an appeal trial since 2007.
    Martins did an awkward photo op grinning from ear-to-ear with Senna rival Alain Prost, while wearing the Senninha shirt - Prost looking genuinely side-blinded (they based their Braco Daco antagonist in the comics on him).

Why they might not be annoying:

    They conceptualized the Senninha character in 1991, but were low on funds.
    It was only after meeting Ayrton personally, in 1994, did he agree to loan them the money to license the product.
    Rogerio created advertising campaigns for Johnson & Johnson, Knorrs, Hellmann's, 100 Shops, Chips and Chocolates Garoto.
    Martins later taught Design classes at the Pan-American School of Art & Design.
    Following its unveiling, Senninha issues were made available free to every school in Brazil.
    Senninha's name has been used on more than 370 products ranging from shirts to condiments to helicopters.
    All the proceeds from the Senninha characters are donated to charity, mainly organizations working with Instituto to promote public education to Brazil's poorest regions.
    RIdaut continues to be an active promoter of the Senninha brand, as well as an active sketch artist - showcasing his work frequently on social media (mainly Instagram and Facebook).
    Ayrton would brandish Senninha merchandise regularly during public appearances in the last year of his life, even doing a live action intro for the cartoon series' pilot (many believe the brand would have become a global phenomenon had he lived).

Credit: BoyWiththeGreenHair


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 2 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 5 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 6 Votes: 33.33% Annoying