
Em Busca do Nariz de Isabelle (lit. In Search of Isabelle's Nose) is the title of a story originally published in Mônica #155 (Globo series) in September 1999. This story was later adapted into a cartoon episode in 2004.
The story was written by Emerson Abreu. In the English translation the name of this story is Looking for Isabelle's Nose!.
Plot[]
After receiving money from her allowance, Monica goes to Mr. Ding Ling's store to buy the 5,000-piece puzzle (whose image is of a beautiful lady named Isabelle) she wanted so much. After spending a week putting the puzzle together, she gives a scream that ends up catching Jimmy Five's attention. Monica reveals that she is angry because the last missing piece to complete the puzzle (Isabelle's nose) is missing. Monica and Jimmy Five go to Mr. Ding Ling's store and discover by Ding Ling a legend involving the creator of the puzzle.
In the legend, the toymaker had the desire to create a 5,000-piece puzzle, but he was eventually fired from his job at the toy factory by his bosses who thought the idea was crazy. After being fired the toymaker discovers that the factory he worked in had stolen his idea and as revenge he stole all the pieces containing the noses of all the puzzles causing the factory to go bankrupt. Ding Ling then reveals to Monica that there is a single piece of Isabelle's nose hidden in the underground caves of the old factory. He reveals that the place where the old factory used to be is the exact place where Monica's house is now. Monica and Jimmy Five leave before Ding Ling warns them of the traps.
Part 2[]
Monica decides to head towards the underground cave, but Jimmy Five tries to warn her that the place can be dangerous and infested with bugs. Monica then begins to insist to Jimmy Five to enter the cave instead, to the point of throwing a tantrum by jumping hard on the ground until opening a hole under the two leading them to the underground cave. Jimmy Five falls and gets hurt, while Monica falls on his back. The two start walking straight through the cave towards the puzzle piece, Jimmy Five ends up falling into all the traps, while Monica does not notice this happening. Monica finds the piece and removes it from the pedestal, triggering a new trap: a boulder rolling towards them. Monica saves the piece while Jimmy Five is crushed by the boulder. Monica finds the exit from the cave, which leads to the front of her house's door (Mr. Sousa, who was standing on the doormat, that is on the top of cave's exit, ends up being thrown back when Monica opens the cave door.).
Monica enters the house to finish the puzzle, but discovers that Ditto messed up all the pieces. Mr Sousa examines the puzzle piece and recognizes Isabelle, revealing that she is Monica's deceased great-aunt. Mr. Sousa then reveals the true story by saying that Isabelle was the wife of the toymaker and that she was ashamed of her big nose, making her husband hide all the pieces of the puzzle that contained her nose. Mr. Sousa still reveals to Monica that all the pieces containing Isabelle's nose are kept in a drawer in her own house making Monica pass out.
After discovering the truth Monica and Jimmy Five return to see Mr. Ding Ling who turns out to be Monica's great-uncle and the toymaker who was actually the owner of the factory. Jimmy Five then falls by surprise after the revelation and breaks the fourth wall talking to the reader saying that Monica inherited his talent for breaking people's minds (a pun with word puzzle in Portuguese, "quebra-cabeça", lit. break-head/mind).
Characters[]
- Monica
- Mr. Ding Ling
- Jimmy Five
- Past residents of Lemon Street (flashback)
- Toymaker bosses (flashback)
- Kids who bought the puzzle (flashback)
- Mr. Sousa
- Ditto
- Isabelle (picture)
Animated episode[]

Title card
In 2004 the story was adapted into a episode in the animated film Cine Gibi, that was fist movie of the Cine Gibi series. This episode, like many others this season, uses traditional animation with backgrounds made by Mauro Souza. This episode had some changes from the comics, for example:
- The scene where Monica buys the puzzle at Mr. Ding Ling's store has not been adapted. The episode starts with Monica finishing the puzzle.
- Streets and a wall around Monica's house are seen appearing. In the comic (as in most stories) there are no streets in the neighborhood.
- Monica's house is different.
- Isabelle has her image revealed at the beginning of the episode when Monica shows her (incomplete) puzzle to Jimmy Five. In the comic, Isabelle's image is only revealed by Mr. Sousa at the end of the story through a picture.
- Ding Ling has a extremely different design in both his Asian disguise and his real face.
- The design of the toymaker bosses and the kids who bought the puzzles in the flashback is also extremely different.
- Ding Ling reveals the location of the underground caves to Monica through a map making her recognize the location as her home. In the comic Ding Ling reveals this to Monica after reading a book.
- The moment Monica and Jimmy Five fall into the hole, their hair strands jumps out of their heads.
- The sign from which Monica finds the way to find the piece is brown and is shaped like a puzzle piece with a red arrow in the center. In the comic the sign is white and shaped like a arrow with a text written in the center: "Nariz de Isabelle! Logo Ali!" (Isabelle's nose! Right there!).
- Monica finds a stone in the cave that later helps her to recognize Ding Ling as her great-uncle at the end of episode. In the comic Monica finds the card from his store.
- The first trap that Jimmy Five falls into is being attacked by a log tied to a rope. In the comic it's a hammer.
- When Monica presses the button that activates the second trap (a boxing glove that punches Jimmy Five in the face) Monica presses the button several times. In the comic Monica presses only once.
- The doors of the third trap (that close leaving Jimmy Five stuck) are gray, while in the comic book they are green. Jimmy Five only has his head stuck and is released after Monica takes her foot off the button that triggered the trap. In the comic, Jimmy Five's head and left arm are trapped and is only released when the boulder appears to destroy the doors.
- The pedestal on which the puzzle piece is located is different.
- Monica destroys the boulder with a punch.
- The doormat is brown. In the comic the doormat looks almost like grass.
- Ditto's design is different, resembling his current design, instead of the old one in which his face looked more similar to Monica's face.
- Mr. Sousa appears without a jacket, wearing different pants and wearing a red tie instead of a blue one. His hair also has a white light effect.
- Mr. Sousa shows Monica the image of Isabelle (and also the toymaker) through a photo album instead of a framed picture. The place where the puzzle pieces were kept is in a chest instead of a drawer. Monica also doesn't faint when she finds out the truth.
- The story ends with a extra scene, where Monica asks her great-uncle to make a puzzle with her image. Jimmy Five makes a joke that this will end up like Isabelle's story, but focusing on her teeth instead of her nose.
Trivia[]
- This story was available in English on the Monica's Gang website, until the site was redesigned in 2013.
- The scene in which Monica and Jimmy Five escape the rolling boulder is a reference to the same scene that occurs in the film Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Young Ding Ling appearance in the cartoon, somewhat reminiscent of Walt Disney
- The design of young Ding Ling in the cartoon somewhat resembles Walt Disney.
- Ding Ling and Isabelle are characters created only for this story. They never returned in any other story.