Farewell Ulysses, hello Penelope: the little guy from Télérama becomes a woman

Symbolic revolution in the pages of Télérama: the little drawn man who smiles or grimaces to illustrate the magazine’s film reviews is replaced by a woman, after seventy-two years of reign. Appeared in 1950, this emblematic mascot named Ulysses gives way to Pénélope, created by the designer Pénélope Bagieu, from the Wednesday issue. “72 years old is the age of retirement! We are at a time when the place of women is affirmed, and that such an emblem becomes feminine, we liked it”, explains to AFP the president of Télérama, Catherine Sueur. To take the plunge, the weekly “immediately thought” of Pénélope Bagieu, creator of successful comics who displays her feminist commitment. have a family resemblance to Ulysses, whose famous lock is replaced by a fringe and a bun. “It needed continuity and an expressive character,” says Ms. Sueur. “Few people know that his name is Ulysses, most often we just say ‘the little guy from Télérama’!” This character is indeed an institution. Created by designer Omer Boucquey, he began his career in 1950 in the pages of Radio-Cinéma, the ancestor of Télérama. Since then, he has changed his mind several times. In 2011, a very stylized and minimalist version had caused the discontent of the public. She was quickly replaced by the latest, signed by another big name in comics, Riad Sattouf. the average total circulation was 470,576 copies per issue in 2021. The scale returns to five rating levels instead of four, to be more precise. For TV, radio, books and shows, the best rating now corresponds to four “Ts” instead of three. “Criticism is Télérama’s DNA”, recalls Catherine Sueur, according to whom the weekly keeps “an essential place” despite the proliferation of cultural chronicles on the Internet. “The advent of social networks and influencers precisely shows that people need criticism,” she analyzes. “Our readers and professionals recognize the value of our reviews: a good rating in Télérama has an impact on sales or admissions”, she assures. Télérama retraced, in an article, the history of the evolution of its mascot and the rating of the films in its columns.