LITTLE MADO, A SCHOOL GIRL ADVENTURE

By Marivir R. Montebon

Little Mado is a character created by Artist Madonna Angeles-Davidoff, which was inspired by her daily life as a young Catholic school girl in the Philippines.

She and her classmates had to follow the Catholic form of discipline: strict rules, regular confession, and obeying teachers at all times in an all-girls school ran by American Maryknoll nuns in the 1960s . This is not easy for Little Mado who is always restless, hyperactive and whose curiousity lands her into trouble. She often gets scolded by her teachers to the point where her mother gets called by the school Principal (also a nun) for her "bad" behavior.

Most of the time she is bored with her classes, so she comes up with ways to amuse herself and her classmates with the disapproval of most adults around her. The only subject she loves and excel was Art class, thanks to a teacher who helped her use her excessive energy productively through expressing herself creatively.

We will see Little Madô's  naughtiness not only in her school but also in her home and her outside adventures. This is an era before ADHD/ADD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) was "discovered". During Little Madô's time, no meds were needed--only old fashion love, patience and a bit of compassionate discipline works wonders.  At hindsight, Little Mado and Madonna the artist believe that if you are true to yourself, you will triumph in the end.


ABOUT THE ARTIST

Madonna Angeles-Davidoff is a Filipino, American and Swiss rolled into one whose artistry have become pervasive in three continents with a stroke of a paint brush or pencil.  This New York-based artist was born and schooled in Manila. She considers famous Philippine artist Larry Alcala (way back in her college days in UP) and New York artist Matt Madden (School of Visual Arts in NYC) as motivated to boost her skills in cartooning.

Madonna created Little Mado, the cartoon series in 2011 after having been inspired by grade school friends whom she reconnected through social media.  The amusing memories they shared online actually gave birth to the cartoon Little Mado.

The artist in her got inspired and illustrated those shared memories and posted her own personal experience on social media. Interestingly, it got a lot of positive feedback which prompted Madonna to take seriously making a graphic novel or comicbook.

OSM! features weekly the Little Mado series starting in this issue.