Bogeymen

October 31, 2003 11:55 AM

CocoWeb (trans) is a project which has assembled 516 manifestations of the Bogeyman in Latin America. The list includes the well-known Coco or Cucuy, a dark figure who makes an appearance in the art world as the subject of one of Goya's Caprichos. Any Hispanic child can tell you about La Llorona, a grieving woman who walks in the night (familiar enough to be used in a controversial got milk? ad). In South America they can tell you about the Sack-Man, on of the original bogeymen, who walks in the darkness, looking for children to throw into his sack.
posted by vacapinta (4 comments total)

The translation has it as "the man of stock-market". You gotta love Babelfish.
posted by SealWyf at 12:50 PM on October 31, 2003

Holy great pumpkin, Charlie Brown! My folks used to scare us with the Cucuy. Damn, I didn't know it was a widespread cultural figure.
posted by lychee at 2:42 PM on October 31, 2003

The Sack-Man - o homem do saco used to frighten us senseless in Portugal. Specially as we often saw sinister-looking men (harmless peasants, no doubt) carrying big sacks on their shoulders. I wonder if this is yet another dubioud Portuguese export?
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:12 PM on October 31, 2003

dubioud: something of doubtful value, but attractively rendered in a Sinatra-like "dooby dooby doo" way.
posted by MiguelCardoso at 5:14 PM on October 31, 2003