Os Tênis da Mônica (lit. The Monica's Sneakers) is the title of a story originally published in Mônica #109 (Globo series) in September 1996. This story was later adapted into a cartoon episode in 2005.
The story was written by Rosana Munhoz.
Plot[]
The story begins with Jimmy Five and Smudge singing "Happy Birthday" to Monica. Monica says it is not her birthday and the boys say they are wanting to give her a gift. Monica opens the gift and finds it to be a pair of sneakers. Monica says she doesn't need to wear sneakers, but the boys insist on wanting to see Monica putting on their sneakers. Monica puts on her sneakers and the boys reveal that the reason they gave them their sneakers was because they signed her up for the neighborhood Olympics which will debut the next day. Monica doesn't like the idea of being entered in the Olympics without being consulted first, but the boys insist on wanting to train Monica.
Monica begins training by jumping rope, lifting a dumbbell and practicing running. While running, Monica meets Maggy who asks what Monica is doing. Monica replies that she is practicing for the neighborhood Olympics, Maggy reveals that she also didn't know it would happen and Monica asks Maggy to go see the Olympics the next day. After Monica finishes training Jimmy Five asks for the sneakers back to wash.
The next day Monica goes to the neighborhood field and find the place empty, Maggy appears and keeps Monica company. The boys appear together with Franklin and the sneakers. Jimmy Five puts on the sneakers and reveals to Monica that this was a infallible plan and that the Olympics did not exist. Jimmy Five also explains that sneakers were Franklin's invention that absorbed her super-strength and transferred it to him. Monica and Jimmy Five fight each other, but Jimmy Five takes advantage of Monica being tired of training and beats her. After Jimmy Five wins Smudge asks to also wear the sneakers. After so much insistence Jimmy Five gives the sneakers to Smudge. Smudge decides not to beat Monica so he decides to lift a huge stone, but he can't, he tries a smaller stone, but he also can't, Smudge looks at a pebble and manages to lift it. Smudge then realizes that he is not super strong and asks Franklin why. Franklin deduces that Jimmy Five spent all of Monica's energy accumulated in the sneakers and the sneakers needed to be recharged. Smudge gets angry and ends up revealing it unintentionally to Monica saying that she had the advantage of beating them now. Monica then knocks out the boys and leaves with Maggy.
Jimmy Five is angry that Smudge screwed up the plan and takes the sneakers back. Jimmy Five puts on his sneakers, but ends up getting dirty revealing that the sneakers transferred Smudge's dirt to him.
Characters[]
Animated episode[]
Title card
In 2005 the story was adapted into a episode in the animated film Cine Gibi 2, that was second 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:
- Jimmy Five and Smudge give Monica the gift at the exact moment they sing "Happy Birthday". In the comic they give the gift after singing.
- The colors of the gift package are different.
- The design of the sneakers is extremely different.
- When Monica says "Sem me consultar?" (lit. Without consulting me?) for the boys she jumps in anger and screams.
- Monica appears training on a sidewalk instead of in the neighborhood field.
- The dumbbell Monica appears lifting is much lighter and gray instead of black.
- Maggy appears eating a strawberry lollipop. In the comic is a grape lollipop.
- When Jimmy Five asks for the sneakers back he praises Monica and Monica laughs with joy.
- The scene that shows Monica having breakfast with her mother was replaced by another scene in which shows Monica's house with the sky dusk and dawn.
- Streets and sidewalks appear. There are no streets or sidewalks in the comic.
- When Monica goes to the neighborhood field, two soccer goal posts appear.
- When Maggy appears to keep Monica company she appears eating cookies. In the comic she eats popcorn.
- When Jimmy Five shows up with Smudge and Franklin he has the sneakers on. Jimmy Five puts on the sneakers while talking to Monica.
- Franklin appears wearing his scientist's lab coat.
- The camera that Franklin and Maggy use to take a picture of the fight does not appear.
- When Monica gives a coelhada in Jimmy Five he sinks into the ground. In the comic Jimmy Five doesn't sink.
- In the comic, Maggy eats a watermelon while watching the fight. In the episode she doesn't eat anything.
- Monica is thrown by Jimmy Five against a house wall instead of a fence.
- When Monica gives a coelhada in Jimmy Five during the fight Jimmy Five is thrown towards a lightpole. In the comic Monica sinks Jimmy Five in the ground.
- When Smudge puts on his shoes Maggy tells him that Monica has already been beaten too much. In the comic Smudge looks at Monica and says he doesn't want to beat her after her fight against Jimmy Five.
- The stones that Smudge tries to lift, but cannot, are bigger.
- Monica defeats the boys with a coelhada. In the comic she punches him with her hands.
- The boys appear with lilac eyelids (black eyes) after being knocked out by Monica.
- Smudge tries to defend himself after he ruined the plan saying Franklin was to blame.
- After Jimmy Five puts on the sneakers and gets Smudge's dirt, the ending is changed and extended. All 3 boys smell the stench (instead of just Jimmy Five), Jimmy Five is entirely covered in black dust and Smudge and Franklin laugh at him making Jimmy Five furious by running after them and spinning the sneakers (similar to Monica with Samson) to hit them.
Trivia[]
- This is one of the rare stories that show Monica and Smudge wearing shoes.
- Some scenes in this episode have been recycled to Cine Gibi 3, Sumico da Jujuba and Um Plano Levemente Infaivel;