Topo Gigio (Italian pronunciation: [ˈtɔːpo ˈdʒiːdʒo]) is a little puppet mouse character that was the lead character of a children's puppet show on Italian television in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The character, created in 1958 by artist Maria Perego, her husband Federico Caldura, and fellow artist Guido Stagnaro, debuted on Italian television in 1959 and has been customarily voiced by actor Giuseppe "Peppino" Mazzullo and later Davide Garbolino. The Italian nickname "Gigi" is a derivative of Luigi ("Louis"), so Topo Gigio could be translated as Louie Mouse.
Topo Gigio was very popular in Italy for many years—not only on TV, but also in children's magazines, such as the classical Corriere dei Piccoli, animated cartoons, merchandising and movies. In 1963, the character's popularity spread to the world after being featured on The Ed Sullivan Show in the U.S.
Today, Topo Gigio still has fans and has become an icon of Italian pop culture. He performs regularly at Zecchino d'Oro festival and other programs created by Antoniano and RAI. The character also spawned two feature-length motion pictures, The Magic World of Topo Gigio (1965) and Topo Gigio and the Missile War (1967), an anime series, and a 2020 animated series of the same name.
