Bruno Aleixo is a Portuguese animated character that gained popularity between 2010 and 2012. Created by the collective GANA (Guionistas e Argumentistas Não-Alinhados (Non-aligned Scriptwriters and Screenwriters)), Bruno Aleixo was featured in a series of programs titled The Aleixo Show. Originally envisioned as an ambiguous mix of a bear and a dog, Aleixo's appearance was soon changed due to his resemblance to the copyrighted Ewok characters of the Star Wars franchise. Raised in Coimbra, Aleixo also has Brazilian heritage.
Aleixo became popular through a series of internet videos titled "Os Conselhos Que Vos Deixo" ["The Advice that I Leave You"], and through an appearance with Nuno Markl in Os Incorrigíveis [The Incorrigibles].
The Aleixo Show
Starting on November 9, 2008, Bruno Aleixo starred in his own program on Portuguese television channel SIC Radical where he presented (alongside a bust of Napoleon called, simply, "Busto" ["Bust"]) various skits which formed, according to him, a talk show. The first season consisted of seven episodes, six regular episodes plus a New Year special.
In June 2009, the program returned in repeats on SIC Radical, and a teaser for a spin-off called "Aleixo the Tourist" set to be aired in 2010 was released on the internet.
A second season premiered in November 2012, also consisting of seven episodes.
Skits
The show featured various regular skits such as: "Press Review": Aleixo and Busto discuss various headlines from the fictitious local newspaper Gazeta de Coimbra; "A Friend of Mine": Aleixo introduces his various quirky friends; "Civil Opinion": a satire of public opinion programs and forums; "Urban Myths": Busto presents various urban myths and Aleixo tells whether it is true or not; "Interview": Interviews with public figures, in the style of a conversation between friends, often featuring embarrassing episodes from their personal lives or jokes Interviewees in the first season included Paulo Furtado, José Luís Peixoto, Fernando Alvim, Rui Pedro Tendinha, Miguel Guilherme, Fernando Martins and Manuel João Vieira. "Mister Cimba": A fictional sponsor satirizing excursion and shopping companies; "Home Game": Home audience participation segment featuring home hobbies, with offbeat prizes to the participants; "Animatography": Aleixo and Bruno make humorous comments on movie trailers, mostly from the mid-20th century. All episodes end with a piano version of a hit tune (without any apparent connection to the theme of the show), sung by Aleixo and Busto.
Aleixo Psi
Aleixo Psi is a 2017 follow up series of the Aleixo Show.
Due to unpredictable and unforeseeable life events, Bruno Aleixo is mandated to undergo psychological counselling by a court order. Throughout the 6 episodes of Aleixo Psi, we follow Mr. Aleixo in a journey of self-discovery and confrontation with his unresolved issues and past. We are aided by his characteristic honest and self-critical personality, his full commitment to truth, eagerness for self-improvement, and of course, the guidance of the co-star of this series, the Psychologist. Aleixo Psi unveils many important details about the mysterious past of the talented Bruno Aleixo, how he came to be the well educated dilettante and self-made man we all admire, and what he had to sacrifice to accomplish so much with sparse resources and in such a short timespan.
Friends
Throughout the series, various friends of Aleixo play a part.