Baldo by Hector D. Cantú and Carlos Castellanos for September 30, 2013

Algún amigo, Sergio. (Some friend.)

How old are the guys who write this? A few years back they had the aunt remembering a vacation romance with a suave tour guide — Gordo Lopez, hero of a great but long out of print comic strip.

And yes, I’m a geezer myself for remembering Gordo and the Frito Bandito. I had a Frito Bandito pencil eraser for years.

Looks like I’m in good company.

Aw man!

The Frito Bandito campaign included a song sung to the tune of the well-known traditional Mexican song “Cielito Lindo”:

Ay, ay, ay, ay! oh, I am dee Frito Bandito. I like Frito’s Corn Chips. I love them, I do. I want Frito’s corn chips. I’ll take them, from you.

I’ve endured women jokes, old-people jokes, Southern jokes, church denomination jokes, and blonde jokes. Was mainly able to laugh them off, because I knew they didn’t apply to me. But the jokes based on ethnicity and race can really sting, I understand.

So I had a friend in college who was Polish/Italian. He would tell Italian jokes and be Polish, or Polish jokes and be Italian. I was blonde and still think dumb blonde jokes are a scream.

as long as we live, so will the Frito Bandito…they can’t take that away from us….even a hispanic comic strip can see the irony.