An Unofficial Tradition: El Chapulín Colorado Makes World Cup Appearance

This year’s World Cup has received a decidedly mixed response from fans and teams alike, with many protesting Qatar’s alleged human rights abuses and poor track record with queer communities. However, a new video starring an El Chapulín Colorado cosplayer is a much-needed reminder of what soccer is all about.

This year’s cosplayer is carrying on what has now become a long-standing World Cup tradition. During every World Cup in recent memory, at least one person has come dressed up as the celebrated crime fighter.

Qatar did not count on his cunning!

mitú has a new video on TikTok featuring Qatar’s favorite El Chapulín Colorado while the show’s original theme song plays over the clip. If you didn’t already know, “El Chapulín Colorado” was a superhero spoof from comedian Chespirito, who is most well-known for playing El Chavo del Ocho.

The two shows aired concurrently in the 1970s and fans still celebrate them today as the pinnacles of Mexican sitcoms. The vast majority of Chespirito’s projects enjoy an enduring legacy with passionate fans who pass the shows down to the younger generations. But there’s something about El Chapulín Colorado that still manages to make people laugh like it aired just yesterday.

But his antennas did detect the presence of an enemy… Poland

The Mexico vs Poland game turned out to be a huge disappointment. Both teams left the field having scored no points between them. The draw means Mexico and Poland each get a point on the leaderboard. The draw also helped create a path to victory for Argentina. Experts say Argentina will take the trophy despite losing to Saudi Arabia earlier this week.

“They did not count on his cunning,” wrote one commenter in reference to the character’s signature slogan. “The antennas detected the presence of the enemy,” wrote another. And finally, a heartwarming comment reminds viewers of the obvious: “I love Mexican humor I love you.” It doesn’t get any better than that.

Mexico will play Argentina on November 26 before facing off against Saudia Arabia on November 30. The chances of them even making it to the quarterfinals are slim, but who knows? Maybe El Chapulín Colorado will swoop in to save the day.

However, he’s not the only one…

Although this particular incarnation of El Chapulín Colorado has fans howling at their screens, he’s not the first one to do it. El Chapulín Colorado appearances go back pretty far and have become an unofficial tradition of the World Cup.

There have been quite a few Chapulínes popping up at the World Cup, but there’s something about the one we spotted in Qatar that just hits different.