Yolanda Vargas Dulché
*Yolanda Vargas Dulché de la Parra was born on this date in 1926. She was a Mexican writer principally known for creating the comic book character of Memín Pinguín and various telenovelas for Mexican television.
Vargas Dulché was born to parents Armando Vargas de la Maza and Josefina Dulché in Mexico City, along with one sister, Elba. The family moved frequently, and both girls often changed schools. However, this brought Yolanda into contact with various elements of Mexican society, which would later influence the creation of her literary characters. These frequent moves included a brief stay in the United States with her sister before returning to Mexico City permanently. To make ends meet, Vargas Dulché worked at several jobs. She collaborated with Emilio Azcárraga Vidaurreta on radio station XEW-AM, singing songs by Agustín Lara, Pedro Vargas, and Toña la Negra, and later formed a duet with her sister, "Rubia y Morena," which sang with Agustín Lara.
Her career as a writer began to supplement her income from singing. She started her writing career to supplement her income by contributing to several newspapers, creating Memín Penguín in 1943. By 1960, she had successfully published several comic books, encouraging her husband to write. The two created successful telenovelas, including Rubí, which has been redone for both television and film. In total, Varga and Dulché published over sixty titles in both Mexico and abroad. While working as a writer, she met her husband, Guillermo de la Parra, with whom she had five children, including actress Emoé de la Parra and Manelick de la Parra.
She also has eleven grandchildren, including singers/actors Mané de la Parra and Alondra de la Parra, as well as a musician. With her husband, she had success as a writer, comic book illustrator, and producer of telenovelas and films. With her own money, she constructed an entire town, including homes, schools, and other facilities, in Durango, which still exists today. She also created a chain of hotels in Mexico. Yolanda Vargas died on August 8, 1999, after finishing a short autobiography called Aroma del Tiempo.
