Don Ramón

Don Ramón (also known as Seu Madruga in the Brazilian dub and as Mr. Raymond in the English dub of the animated series) is a Mexican fictional character from the Mexican television sitcom series El Chavo del Ocho, played by the Mexican actor Ramón Valdés. He is an unemployed widower who lives in flat n°. 72 in Chavo's neighborhood, owned by Señor Barriga. He is the father of La Chilindrina and grandson of Doña Nieves.

Don Ramón
El Chavo del Ocho character
Don Ramón cartoon from El Chavo del Ocho
First appearance	El ropavejero (1972) Los globos (Ballooney) (2006, animated series)
Last appearance	Que bonita vecindad (1982) Historias de amor II (Love Stories II) (2014, animated series)
Created by	Roberto Gómez Bolaños Ramón Valdés
Portrayed by	Ramón Valdés
Voiced by	Mario Castañeda (El Chavo Animado) Doug Erholtz (El Chavo Animado; English dub)
In-universe information
Nicknames	Monchito Ron Damon
Species	Human
Gender	Male
Occupation	Cesante
Family	Unnamed Wife (deceased) Malicha (goddaughter) Don Jacinto (deceased uncle) Don Román (cousin) Doña Nieves (grandmother) Aristócratas de Celaya, Guanajuato (aunts)
Children	La Chilindrina
Home	Flat N° 72 of the neighborhood
Nationality	Mexican

Biography and fictional personality

Don Ramón is a widowed man from Chihuahua. His unnamed wife passed away during the birth of his daughter, the scandalous but likable Chilindrina. He lives in the neighbourhood of El Chavo del Ocho, in flat No. 72 (in the animated series he lives in No. 10), although previously in the episode of his first appearance he lived in Doña Florinda's flat, No. 14.

Throughout his life he had different trades and sports (or claims to have played them). It is known that he was a boxer, American footballer, bullfighter, guitarist, singer, musician, master builder, etc., subjects on which he enlightens the children of the neighbourhood. He regularly carries out various jobs, usually related to everyday trades: plumber, cobbler, carpenter, plasterer, plasterer, balloonist, mechanic, churro seller, hairdresser, gardener, clothes seller, milkman, etc.

He is charismatic and kind-hearted, but with an explosive character and is very strict with his daughter Chilindrina. He is easily irritable with children; among other things, he is annoyed when Chavo makes fun of him for being skinny and thinks he is old. He physically reprimands Chavo, Quico and La Chilindrina when they get into mischief, which causes him to be unjustly accused by Doña Florinda of trying or having done something bad to Quico, when in fact it was someone else's fault (on almost all of Chavo's occasions), and violently reprimanded with a slap or even a severe beating offstage, which leaves him very hurt without Doña Florinda allowing him to explain what happened (there were times when Doña Florinda did allow him to explain and others when Quico did clarify that it was Chavo or someone else who caused his sadness and not Don Ramón, although in all situations he ended up slapping him). Many times, after slapping him, Doña Florinda ends up telling Quico: "¡Vámonos, tesoro! Don't get together with this rabble", and Quico then throws him in the chest saying: "Chusma, chusma" (as if he had been responsible and without ever making it clear to his mother that he was not) and then, on some occasions, Doña Florinda tells him: "And next time, go to (...) to your grandmother". After this, he gets angry by throwing his hat on the floor and most of the time Chavo asks him something about his grandmother in relation to what Doña Florinda told him, which causes him to angrily slap her and say: "Pe-pe-pe-pe-pe..." (mimicking Chavo's crying). (imitating Chavo's crying) and I won't give you another one because...". However, despite the enmity that characterises them both, there are special occasions when they forget their differences.

Graffiti of Ramón Valdés characterized as this character, located in Managua, Nicaragua.

Neither has a very good relationship with Señor Barriga, to whom he always owes fourteen months' rent (fifteen, in the episode "Don Ramón leaves the neighbourhood") and therefore avoids him as much as possible, as when he comes to knock on his flat and leaves through the window without him seeing him, or sometimes distracts him with other subjects so that he does not charge him the rent, as in an episode where he says that he is going to Monterrey (Señor Barriga's favourite football team). On occasion, however, Don Ramón tries to pay off part of his debt through temporary maintenance work in the neighbourhood, which becomes the theme of every episode (and which ends up getting him into trouble due to Chavo's meddling). On extraordinary occasions he has managed to get money to pay at least a month's rent, as on one occasion; after a great ordeal when he lost the envelope of money and Señor Barriga took all the furniture out of Don Ramón's house, believing it to be another lie of his. In the third season episode of El Chavo Animado, "No te vayas, Ñoño", Don Ramón is happy to hear that Señor Barriga is moving out, until Doña Florinda reminds him how good Señor Barriga has been to him for not kicking him out even though he owes him fourteen months' rent, and to scare him she told him that the new owner of the neighbourhood will kick him out.

In contrast, Doña Clotilde is in love with Don Ramón and constantly harasses him. He does not reciprocate and runs away from her, but maintains a good relationship with her, accepts gifts and food she gives him, and also scolds the children when they call her "witch". He also tends to get along well with Professor Jirafales, however, he is sometimes humiliated and even beaten by the professor (almost always for defending Doña Florinda or Quico).

One of his characteristics is that despite his honesty, he shows an absolute lack of interest in work, which is shown through phrases such as: "There is no bad work... the bad thing is having to work" or "How could you think of waking me up at 10 o'clock in the morning? His favourite football team is Necaxa in an episode from 1973 and another recorded in 1978.

It is not known what he does for a living, although it is mentioned that the "crisis" left him unemployed, in no episode is it known how he earns money for his living.

Costumes

Don Ramón's wardrobe is unmistakable, he always wears a black, green or dark grey T-shirt, with a pocket on the left side of his chest (where he kept his cigarettes), trousers, white trainers and a light blue piluso hat (just like in the animated series). The fact that he always wore the same clothes was reflected by El Chavo, who in the episode "Fútbol Americano", when Don Ramón told Professor Jirafales that the children would not be motivated to play because "they had no love for the jersey", El Chavo replied to Don Ramón that it was obvious that he had a love for the jersey, since he always wore the same one. In the first appearances, the black T-shirt was replaced by a white, yellow or turquoise T-shirt. Also in the first episode, instead of the well-known piluso hat, he wore a Basque-style beret.

In popular culture

Chilean rock band Los Mox released the song "Ron Damon" as part of their album Vino Caliente, Tomo y se Fue. whose lyrics praise the character and point him out as an idol to be admired for his attitude towards life while the title of the song refers to the way he is called by El Chavo, who was never able to correctly pronounce his name.

External links

• Quotations related to Don Ramón at Wikiquote