Olinda dolls are in favor with the international press

The Olinda Carnival became highlighted in the international press on Tuesday (13) due to the traditional giant dolls that are part of the local festivities.

The newspaper The New York Times published a special report to talk about the dollsespecially one that reproduces the image of American actor John Travolta.

Entitled “How John Travolta became the star of Carnival”, the text tells the story of the 3.6 meter doll who turned 45 years old in 2024.

The giant doll, which references Travolta's character in the film “Saturday Night Fever” (1977), is one of the many dolls that look like celebrities at the Olinda party.

Among them are, for example, Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth, the character Chavez, Xuxa, Ana Maria Braga, Freddie Mercury, David Bowie, Pelé, etc.

Regarding the giant Travolta of the revelry, the publication also highlighted what many revelers comment on, that the figure is distorted and does not actually look like the actor.

“It doesn’t look anything like him. The humidity took over. Everything is distorted,” Silvio Botelho, one of the biggest creators of giant dolls, told the newspaper.

Botelho also explained that he asked to remake the doll, but that the family that owns it says they like him exactly as he is, as do many revelers, who also declare their love for the figure.

The New York Times contacted actor John Travolta to comment on the honor, to which he responded saying he was proud.

“Your music, your dance and your passion fill me with a sense of fulfillment. I am proud and honored to be the icon of your Carnival! This makes me very happy,” she said.

The newspaper also stated that Olinda's giant dolls are a “demonstration of how pre-Lent festivities in Brazil are much more than just Rio de Janeiro's extravagant samba parade.”

The tradition of giant dolls in the city is almost a hundred years old. The oldest of them, the Midnight Man, is considered a calunga, a sacred figure in African-based religions.