As you wander the beautiful San Francisco park in the center of Oviedo city, you may be surprised to encounter a very familiar character.  Sitting on a bench opposite the ornamental duck pond is a life-size monument of the precociously philosophical cartoon character Mafalda from Argentina .   

In 2015, Mafalda’s creator—the cartoonist Quino—was awarded a prize by the princess of Asturias in recognition of his contributions to the arts and humanities.  As a result, a monument of Mafalda was installed and unveiled in the San Francisco park in the province of Asturias, Oviedo. 

Since that time it has become a beloved feature of the park and the city as both locals and visitors alike enjoy having their picture taken beside her. Even filmmaker Woody Allen  had his picture taken with the monument while visiting Oviedo.