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El Chapulin Colorado
Played by: Roberto Gómez Bolaños "Chespirito" (Original series), Jesús Guzmán (Animated series).
El Chapulín Colorado is the main character of the show. He wears a red and yellow uniform with a yellow heart with the CH letters in his chest. His weapons are a mallet of varying effectiveness, a old car horn that stuns the nearest target and pills that shrink him when consumed.
- Accidental Hero: Most of his wins happen due to actions he never planned for, contrasting with most of his plans failing.
- And Here He Comes Now: To summon Chapulin, one must ask "And now, who could defend me"? If Super Sam shows up instead, Chapulin will come when the Mexican caller inevitably tells Sam that they "prefer what is ours".
- Badass on Paper: People often hold El Chapulín in very high regard, as an extremely competent hero that can solve whichever problem is at hand. Only the second part is true.
- Broken Pedestal: He almost always causes this to those who ask him for help, when they realize he's easily capable of doing more harm than good. Eventually they start trying to summon other heroes, such as Batman or Superman. In the more optimistic episodes, he ends up regaining that respect.
- Carry a Big Stick: He wields the Bionic Mallet, a red toy hammer that either effortlessly knock outs people or doesn't work at all. Whichever is funnier.
- Character Catchphrase: Many. In fact, one Running Gag is for him to spout all of them in a row when he wakes after being knocked out.
- "¡Síganme los buenos!" ("Good guys, follow me!"), shortly after being summoned, or when he's about to do something heroic.
- "Calma, que no panda el cúnico." ("Remain calm, don't let renic paign."), when he sees someone panicking.
- "¡Mis antenitas de vinil están detectando la presencia del enemigo!" ("My little vinyl antennae are detecting the enemy's presence!"): It's his Spider-Sense.
- "¡No contaban con mi astucia!" ("They did not count on my cleverness!"), when he (Believes he) succeeded in something, such as defeating the enemy or solving the mistery.
- "Se aprovechan de mi nobleza…" ("They take advantage of my nobleness..."), when he feels he's being mocked, or when he's forced to do something dangerous.
- "Lo sospeché desde un principio." ("I've suspected it all along."), when he realizes (or is told) he made a mistake.
- "Lo hice intencionalmente para..." ("I did it intentionally to..."), followed by whatever excuse he comes up with. Usually in response to being asked if he got hurt when he trips or gets hit with something.
- "Todos mis movimientos están fríamente calculados." ("All my movements are coldly calculated."), usually said after he has done something clumsy.
- "Yo Opino..." ("I think that..."), when he wants to express his opinion. He is always interrupted accidentally or intentionally.
- "Es exactamente lo que iba yo a decir." (That's exactly what I was about to say.), whenever someone comes up with a good suggestion.
- Chest Insignia: The yellow heart with a "CH" in his chest.
- Chivalrous Pervert: He almost always asks women out Once an Episode. This actually gets exploited by some of the female villains.
- Connected All Along: Subverted, in one episode it is revealed that he is Chompiras' cousin, but at the end of it it is revealed that the Chapulin we have been following was just a disguised guest, so they are not really cousins.
- Cowardly Lion: He fears a lot of things, but he ultimately tries to beat them.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He may be clumsy and conceited, but at the end of the day, he will either outsmart an opponent, or take advantage of an opening and knock them out.
- Dub Name Change: In Brazil, he was initially named as "Polegar Vermelho" (red thumb), since the chapulin insect isn't known in Brazil, although it made the "CH" symbol of his uniform meaningless. Later translations changed his name to just "Chapolin" and, finally, to "Chapolin Colorado", which became his official name.
- Dumb Is Good: His defining trait. Most of the time, he's incapable of coming up with a plan all by himself.
- Good Is Not Soft: El Chapulín is actually rather nice towards the bad guys as long as they don't pose a threat. Generally he won't strike unless provoked, and will at first try to talk the villain out of what he/she tries to do.
- Gratuitous Foreign Language: Chapulin claims he knows every language in the world, although it looks like it's the completely opposite.
- Gratuitous English: Every time Chapulin is trying to communicate with an American foreigner, like the "Mister" tourist and Super Sam.Chapulin: Mister, I have a dog. This is a pencil. I go to school. She's my sister. Santa Claus is in the water closet.
- Gratuitous French: El Chapulín claims that, in order for him to understand French, there are three conditions: that he's spoken to slowly, clearly, and in Spanish.
- Gratuitous Japanese: In one episode which he visits a Japanese Dojo, he tries to communicate in Japanese, but he is speaking Spanish with a Japanese accent.
- Gratuitous English: Every time Chapulin is trying to communicate with an American foreigner, like the "Mister" tourist and Super Sam.
- Idiot Hero: Clumsy, and mixes up his proverbs, and has to be told he's attacking an ally since he assumes that the first person his Vinyl Antennae detect shortly after answering a call for help is a villain.
- Improbable Weapon User: One of his weapons is a old car horn that stuns his enemies.
- Incredible Shrinking Man: When he uses his Chiquitolina pills, he becomes small enough to get past closed doors.
- Invincible Hero: For all his incompetence, he was never defeated. The closest he's been to being defeated is when someone else defeats the villain.
- The Napoleon: Frequently mocked for his low height.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Very prone to making things worse for himself, or those he's trying to help. The most common case is accidentally giving back the villain his gun.
- A good example is in the los piratas arc (1976 version). Chapulin gets the gun from Alma Negra when the villain lent the gun to him in order test the strength of Sabandija, using the gun to hit him in the face. In a rare moment of intelligence, he uses the gun to make Alma Negra surrender, until he returns the gun to him, putting Alma Negra in advantage again and getting jailed (alongside with Sabandija and Panza Loca).
- No One Should Survive That!: He resists bullets and even meteorites without a scratch.
- Offscreen Moment of Awesome: Most of the few moments in which Chapulín has actually been competent happen off-screen, and are merely mentioned. There was an episode in which his first appearance involved him telling a cop to come out from hiding, after saving him from six armed thugs.
- Omniglot: He claims the only language he cannot understand is the one cinema critics use. And poliglot.
- Punny Name: After giving his real name, the people who were interrogating El Chapulín realized that his second surname, Lane, is the same as Superman's girlfriend Lois Lane. El Chapulín merely nods after that statement. This makes his father's name, Pantaleón Colorado y Roto, a reference to Superman, as the name sounds similar to "pantalón colorado y roto", Spanish for "ripped red pants".
- Real Name as an Alias: In a 1989 episode, El Chapulín reveals that Chapulín Colorado is his real name. His father's name is Pantaleón Colorado y Roto and is an entomologist, and gave all his kids names of insects ("Chapulín" being Spanish for grasshopper). El Chapulín's full name is Chapulin Colorado Lane.
- Rebuilt Pedestal: In the most optimistic episodes, Chapulin ends up regaining the respect of the person he is helping, who realizes that despite his clumsiness he is still a true hero.
- Strong as They Need to Be: Being a comic character, Chapulin's competence, strength and agility varies depending on what is funniest for the plot. Sometimes his slogan of "stronger than a mouse" is taken so literally that trying to move a Chihuahua is almost a titanic task for him, and in other cases he can knock down guys who are taller than him with two blows.
- Super Zeroes: Very incompetent.
- Teleport Spam: He can use his teleportation freely in a fight, but he rarely does this.
- Wouldn't Hit a Girl: Would never intentionally hurt a woman. The only time he's actually done that was when he unparalyzed a flung object, and the woman he saved got in its way.
Recurring characters
Super Sam
Played by: Ramón Valdés.
An American hero who tries to steal the spotlight from Chapulin.
- Character Catchphrase: "Time is money, oh yeah!". Used under the same circumstances as El Chapulín Colorado's "¡No contaban con mi astucia!".
- Composite Character: Super Sam is a parody of both Superman and Uncle Sam, having the former's suit and the latter's beard and hat. His name even mixes both characters' names.
- Eagleland: Type 2: He is a satire of political interventionism and a single look at his Character Catchphrase shows how much he values money.
- Gratuitous English: Constantly mixes English and Spanish words in the same sentence.
- Money Mauling: His weapon is a bag with money that makes ka-ching noises. Super Sam says it contains a few, powerful dollars.
- The Rival: Of El Chapulín Colorado whenever they come across each other. They compete so much in order to see who solves the problem of the episode that they inadvertently help the villain.
- Throw the Dog a Bone: Super Sam manages to save the day in one episode. Notably, Sam comes off as genuinely helpful throughout it, while Chapulin spites him for no reason.
- Spotlight-Stealing Squad: Sam likes to meddle in whenever somebody is invoking Chapulin, especially if there's a Damsel in Distress to save.
- Superman Substitute: Although the actual Superman is stated to exist in-universe, and that he may lack superpowers or morals often expected from the trope, Super Sam is a Captain Patriotic hero that dresses just like Superman (mixed with Uncle Sam's beard and hat).
El Tripaseca
Played by: Ramón Valdés.
A gangster, and one of the recurring Big Bads of the show.
- Big Bad: A recurring villain in most present time episodes.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Has teamed up with El Cuajináis, La Minina and El Shory on several episodes.
- Enemy Mine: Teamed up once with El Chapulín to defeat an angry bartender.
- Meaningful Nickname: He is slim like dry guts.
El Cuajináis
Played by: Carlos Villagrán.
Another gangster as well as recurring Big Bad.
- Big Bad: A recurring villain in most present time episodes.
- Big Bad Ensemble: Has teamed up with El Tripaseca, La Minina and El Shory on several episodes.
- Death Is Cheap: He passes away in the end of the 1975 episode "De médico, Chapulín y loco, todos tenemos un poco", but reappears alive in several later episodes.
- Meaningful Nickname: Averted since he has a bit of talent to be a gangster.
- Real Men Wear Pink: In one episode, he wore a full set of pink clothes, up to an including a pink fedora.
- Rugged Scar: Has one that does not let him fully open his left eye.
- Every Scar Has a Story: Though according to La Minina's tone when attempting to explain its origin, and El Cuajináis's response, it seems to have been the result of a silly accident. (basically, repeatedly hurting his eye by not taking the cocktail spoon off of his drinks)
La Minina
Played by: Florinda Meza
An attractive blonde woman that seems to have a thing for gangsters.
- All Girls Want Bad Guys: She has been girlfriend of El Cuajináis and El Tripaseca, the two most dangerous gangsters in the show, at the same time. They almost kill each other once they find out.
- Big Bad Ensemble: While almost always a main antagonist, she never appears alone, teaming up with the likes of El Tripaseca and El Cuajináis.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: At her most competent.
- The Ditz: At her least competent.
- Really Gets Around: Exaggerated - she accepts marriage proposals even from people she doesn't know.
- Smarter Than You Look: She is really good at manipulating El Chapulín, and in one episode, she claimed to be a doctor.
- Victoria's Secret Compartment: Tries to exploit this trope once by hiding a key. She fails, and the key falls to the floor.
El Rascabuches
Played by: Ramón Valdés.
One of the most dangerous criminals in Villa Chaparra.
- Big Bad: In most of the wild west episodes.
- Cruel and Unusual Death: He was once accidentally flattened by the marshall (As El Chapulín accidentally hit him after El Rascabuches crouched). In another, he was caught with a human-sized mousetrap, which had a bag with money instead of cheese.
- The Dreaded: To all of Villa Chaparra.
- Identical Stranger: A minion of his finds a person that looks exactly like him. El Rascabuches tries to kill him (as well as the minion) to drive away suspicion in his heists.
- Insane Troll Logic: In one episode, he robbed the bank (as usual). His daughter complained it would be dangerous to go around with all that money in hand, and tells him to deposit it in the bank he robbed moments before. After having his deposit done, he robs the bank again (And when the banker complained about robbing the bank he robbed and deposited his money on just before, he said he was really motivated to work that day) and when he leaves (And his daughter thinks he never deposited the money), El Rascabuches says it's just savings for the week.
Rosa la Rumorosa
Played by: Florinda Meza
An attractive woman that lives in Villa Chaparra that, for everyone's surprise when she tells them, is El Rascabuches's daughter
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Unlike La Minina, whenever she's taking an actual antagonistic role, she's always competent, and only foiled by El Chapulín's rare moments of brilliance.
- Daddy's Little Villain: She actively helped her father a few times, although she'd mostly mind her own business.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: One of the early far west episodes featured an otherwise-identical character called Rosa la Revoltosa, whom El Rascabuches tried to marry by force.
Alma Negra
Played by: Ramón Valdés.
The leader of the pirates. He is feared by everyone and kills everyone who help him in burying the treasure.- Badass Boast: He claims to have "killed the Dead Sea" and to have "painted the Red Sea with blood".
- Big Bad: In the pirates arc.
- Evil Laugh: His is unique in the show.
- Properly Paranoid: He states he does not trust even his own shadow - and with good reason, as his own shadow tries to hit him afterwards, but disappears after being intimidated.
Supporting and minor characters
Sabandija/Lagartixa
Played by: Carlos Villagrán.
A pirate from Alma Negra's crew. He calls El Chapulín to escape from his fate.
- Butt-Monkey: He is the weakest pirate and the one who most get hit by something.
- Dub Name Change: His name was changed to Largatixa (gecko) in Brazil because it has a similar pronounciation with Sabandija.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Chosen by Alma Negra to bury a treasure alongside Panza Loca - and anyone who follows Alma Negra to bury the treasure is killed to keep the location a secret.
Panza Loca
Played by: Édgar Vivar.
A fat pirate from Alma Negra's crew. He, alongside with Sabandija are destined to die after helping Alma Negra in hiding the treasure.
- Sacrificial Lamb: Chosen by Alma Negra to bury a treasure alongside Sabandija - and anyone who follows Alma Negra to bury the treasure is killed to keep the location a secret.
El Matalote
Played by: Rubén Aguirre.
Alma Negra's right hand man. He is the one who kills the prisoners.
- Made of Iron: Alma Negra showcases El Matalote's resilience by hitting him several times, with El Matalote not even flinching. Later, he eats a key with no ill effects (Other than earning a hit by Alma Negra due to it being the only key to the prison).
- Meaningful Name: His name means "The killer" and indeed he is the one who kills the prisoners.
"Mister"
Played by: Horacio Gómez Bolaños.
An American tourist who is a big fan of Chapulin.
- Butt-Monkey: Victim of Accidental Aiming Skills of someone (especially from Chapulin).
- Camera Fiend: Like to take photos with his camera, especially from Chapulin.
- Hawaiian-Shirted Tourist: Fits perfectly the classic stereotype of an American tourist: Hawaiian like t-shirt, sunglasses, funny hat and a camera.
