ICAIC (poster designer: Bachs [Eduardo Muñoz Bachs]), "Viva Papi," dibujo animado de Juan Padrón, 1980s. Silkscreen, 20" x 30".

Viva Papi is an animated film by legendary Cuban animator Juan Padrón, creator of the beloved character Elpidio Valdés, Cuba's most famous animated revolutionary hero. This poster advertises one of Padrón's animated productions from ICAIC (Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos), the Cuban film institute that supported the nation's animation industry as part of its broader cultural mission.

Poster designer Bachs (Eduardo Muñoz Bachs) creates a delightfully absurd and humorous composition featuring a massive pink dinosaur rendered in simple, bold lines with cross-hatched shading creating depth and texture. The prehistoric creature towers against a brilliant golden-yellow background, while a tiny red warrior figure—possibly representing a knight or revolutionary character—rides atop the dinosaur's back, brandishing a sword triumphantly. The warrior appears to wear armor or protective gear with decorative spiral elements, suggesting a fusion of medieval adventure and playful imagination.

The title "VIVA PAPI" uses distinctive decorative lettering with Art Nouveau influences, the letters featuring curved, organic forms that feel both elegant and whimsical. This typographic style adds to the poster's fairy-tale quality while maintaining bold readability. The color palette is strikingly simple yet effective: the hot pink dinosaur pops dramatically against the saturated yellow background, with black silhouette details grounding the composition along the bottom edge.

The poster embodies the playful spirit of Cuban animation during its golden age in the 1970s-80s, when ICAIC's animation department produced high-quality films for children that combined entertainment with subtle educational and moral messages aligned with revolutionary values. Juan Padrón became Cuba's most internationally recognized animator, and his work influenced generations of Cuban children while achieving distribution across Latin America and beyond.

Bachs's silkscreen design demonstrates the sophisticated printmaking techniques employed by ICAIC's poster artists, using limited colors to maximum effect while creating memorable imagery that would appeal to young audiences. The whimsical subject matter—a child's fantasy of riding a dinosaur into adventure—reflects how revolutionary Cuban culture embraced imagination and wonder as essential elements of childhood education and entertainment.