Cri-Cri is known as the "grillito cantor" or "the singing cricket". He is a character created by Francisco Gabilondo Soler in his childhood and may even be considered "his inner personality"
The character became so famous and gave its author such renown, that it became a second name for Gabilondo. In the mid part of the 20th century he became the most recognizable singer of children's songs in Spanish. Gabilondo's dedication to this segment of the population has been greatly admired, comparable to Walt Disney in his honest approach to making life fun for those who are getting started in life.
Escuela de Perritos
Cri-Cri Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
hay una casita,
si vas allá
te has de asomar,
y por la ventana
en el interior,
verás muchos perritos
con su profesor.
Don Pimpirulando
les está enseñando,
los perritos quieren aprender
paran las orejas
y menean los rabos
y se aplican mucho a leer.
Si pongo una M,
después una A,
y luego las repito, dirá MAMÁ.
Se rieron los perritos
de tal facilidad
y todos juntos deletrearon:
Au, áu, áu, áu, áu!
Si pongo una P,
después una A,
y luego las repito, dirá PAPÁ.
Se rieron los perritos
de tal facilidad
y todos juntos deletrearon:
Au, áu, áu, áu, áu!
The above lyrics are from the song "Escuela de Perritos" by Cri-Cri. The song is about a group of puppies learning in a school, which is located in an old forest house. The singer describes the scene of the puppies attending their class and their teacher Don Pimpirulando teaching them how to read and spell. The puppies are eager to learn and listen attentively to their teacher. He teaches them how to spell and pronounce simple words like "MAMÁ" and "PAPÁ." The puppies find it amusing and learn quickly with excitement. As they all spell together, they bark happily, exclaiming "Au, áu, áu, áu, áu!"
This song is an excellent representation of the children's entertainment genre, popular in Mexico in the 1940s-50s. The song expressed values like education, intelligence, and literacy. It is an educational song, which teaches children how to read and spell simple words. This song also evokes nostalgia among the Mexicans who grew up listening to it, and it remains a popular children's song today. Cri-Cri's Escuela de Perritos has been an important source of entertainment and learning for generations of Mexican children.
Line by Line Meaning
Allá en el viejo bosque hay una casita,
In the old forest, there is a little house.
si vas allá te has de asomar,
If you visit there, you have to peek inside.
y por la ventana en el interior,
Inside, through the window,
verás muchos perritos con su profesor.
You will see many puppies with their teacher.
Don Pimpirulando les está enseñando,
Mr. Pimpirulando is teaching them.
los perritos quieren aprender
The puppies want to learn.
paran las orejas y menean los rabos
They prick up their ears and wag their tails.
y se aplican mucho a leer.
And they try very hard to read.
Si pongo una M, después una A, y luego las repito, dirá MAMÁ.
If I write M, then A, and repeat them, it spells MAMA.
Se rieron los perritos de tal facilidad
The puppies laughed at how easy it was.
y todos juntos deletrearon: Au, áu, áu, áu, áu!
And all together, they spelled: Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!
Si pongo una P, después una A, y luego las repito, dirá PAPÁ.
If I write P, then A, and repeat them, it spells PAPA.
Se rieron los perritos de tal facilidad
The puppies laughed at how easy it was.
y todos juntos deletrearon: Au, áu, áu, áu, áu!
And all together, they spelled: Woof, woof, woof, woof, woof!
Contributed by Carson N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.