| NOTE: This article is about the version of Cuca from the Brazilian folklore & media. The incarnation from the DC Comics universe can be found here: Cuca (DC). |
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| “ | Nana neném, que a Cuca vem pegar, papai foi pra roça, mamãe foi trabalhar. | „ |
| ~ Cuca's original lullaby |
| “ | Sleep little baby, that Cuca comes to get you, daddy went to the farm, mommy went to work | „ |
| ~ Cuca's english lullaby |
Cuca is the main antagonist of the Brazilian novel books of Sítio do Picapau Amarelo (Yellow Woodpecker Ranch) written by the late Monteiro Lobato.
Based on a Brazilian folklore legend's character, she is a powerful and ancient witch who kidnaps and eats naughty children and can take the form of an old woman or an humanoid alligator. Her legend was inspired by the bogeyman Coco. In the Cidade Invisível (Invisibly City) series, Cuca is a major character, acting as the leader of the brazilian supernatural entities, known in her human form as Inês.
Cuca was portrayed by M. Meneguelli in the 1951 film O Saci. In the Sítio do Picapau Amarelo 1977-1986 series, she was portrayed by several different actresses; Rosana Israel; Dorinha Duval, Stella Freitas, and Catarina Abdala. In 2007, she was portrayed by Solange Couto. In the 2021-2023 Netflix series Invisible City, she was portrayed by Alessandra Negrini.
Overview[]
Although in the books she is shown as a serious and cruel witch, in the TV adaptations Cuca has an angrier and incompetent personality. In the 1951 film, her old hag version replaces her reptilian aspect, featured in the novel and several other media. Cuca can be considered a bogeyman for always abducting children to devour them, but can never eat anyone. She also shares a rivalry with Emília the Ragdoll, one of the main characters who often foils her plans.
While in the original TV series she had a fat and ugly appearance, later depictions gave her a more slender body with a more feminine appearance, even wearing a red dress which gave her a dominatrix feel. In the latest TV series, she is given a hunchback henchman named Pesadelo (Nightmare), who is never present in the books or folklore.
History[]
Yellow Woodpecker Ranch[]
Cuca as she appears in the 2003 live action show
In the books she marked her first appearance to kidnap one of the protagonists in one of the chapters of the book "O Saci" in 1921 (in that book, she is one of various villains of Brazilian folklore, but when this book became a movie, named "O Saci" in 1951, Cuca appeared in it as the main antagonist).
Her iconic appearance is best remembered in popular culture from a TV series adaptation produced in 1970. In this version she became incarnated as an anthropomorphic alligator with blond hair, acting as the main villain in the story.
With the success of this adaptation in the TV series, Cuca returned in all other adaptations of Sítio do Picapau Amarelo, including the 2001 and 2008 version and the cartoon series in 2012 (and in a comic book launched between 2006 and 2008, based in the 2001 version, the most famous version in the XXI Century, and because this, inspired the cartoon series).
Invisible City[]
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Cuca/Inês in Invisible City
On the Netflix Brazilian series Invisible City, Cuca was a woman known as Inês, who, when she became pregnant, was abandoned by her lover and her family, being expelled from home and forced to flee to the forest. She then decided to have the child alone, but unfortunately the baby died during childbirth, and the suffering of her loss was so great that nature sent a moth to transform her into a supernatural entity, making her use her maternal instinct to be responsible for children's dreams. Eventually, she became a mother figure to the other entities, who see her as a leader.
DC Universe[]
- Main article: Cuca (DC)
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Cuca from DC Comics
Powers and Abilities[]
- Dark Magic: Cuca is a very powerful witch with many magical powers, being one of the most powerful sorcerers in the brazillian folklore.
- Moth/butterfly control: Cuca can control a swarm of moths and butterflies and make them disintegrate a body.
- Oneiromancy: In Invisible City, Cuca is capable of summoning dreams, stories, and ideas and send them into the minds of others. She can also enter someone's subconscious while they sleep and read their mind, even entering their dreams.
- Sleep induction: In Invisible City, Cuca can make the others sleep by singing her self-named song.
- Immortality: As a supernatural entity, Cuca is immortal.
- Metamorphosis: In Invisible City, Cuca can transform into a moth.
- Transmutation: In the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch, Cuca can transform others into animals like rats, and into objects like stone statues.
- Teleportation: In the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch, Cuca can use her magic to teleport herself and others.
- Energy Blasts: In the Yellow Woodpecker Ranch, Cuca can manipulate lightning from her hands and throw energy beams using her magic.