Drawing the Line: Super Bigote and the Function of Cartoons in Venezuelan Propaganda

This article investigates how the Venezuelan cartoon series Super Bigote operates as a strategic tool in information warfare. While often dismissed as mere entertainment, cartoons in this context reveal how animated narratives harness emotional appeal to reinforce state-sponsored ideologies. Addressing a research gap in understanding visual media’s political influence within Venezuela, this study investigates the question: How does the Super Bigote series employ visual storytelling to construct ideological frameworks that support government legitimacy? Drawing on Goffman's social framework, this research examines how Super Bigote constructs enemy images, mythologises ideological stances, and legitimises authority figures. By serving as platforms of symbolic power, these narratives embed culturally resonant myths, transforming sociopolitical actors into archetypal heroes or villains. Through hyperreal exaggeration, Super Bigote amplifies the grotesque, leveraging caricatured portrayals to engage viewers, evoke moral urgency, and subtly redirect accountability through scapegoating techniques. Utilising Critical Discourse Analysis alongside Qualitative Content Analysis of visual data, this study investigates how cartoons disseminate propaganda, particularly by legitimising the Maduro government and promoting its authoritarian narratives. In doing so, these media forms reinforce ideological conformity while stifling dissent, positioning cartoons as effective instruments for propaganda. The analysis of this series is framed by insights from earlier research on emotional triggers such as fear and pride, as well as narrative methods such as vilifying opponents. Preliminary findings suggest that similar mechanisms drive the Super Bigote series, indicating that multimodal media act as powerful channels for ideological reinforcement. As a result, the primary purpose of this research is to determine whether the patterns observed in other types of propaganda are also present here.