Panchito Pistoles

Panchito is a friend of Donald Duck and José Carioca. He lives in Mexico and rides on a horse called Señor Martinez. He had some appearances in Disney's House of Mouse and in Minnie's Bow-Toons as a MC for a Mexican Fiesta. His first appearance in comics was a self-titled 1943 story in which he met and fell for Clara Cluck. A few months earlier he appeared in a text story titled "La Piñata".

From 1944 to 1945, Panchito headlined a year-long sequence in the Silly Symphony Sunday comic strip, written by Bill Walsh, with pencils by Paul Murry and inks by Dick Moores.[3]

Panchito's full name is Panchito Romero Miguel Junipero Francisco Quintero González III.[4] Panchito or Pancho, as well as Paco or Paquito, are nicknames for Francisco, which is also his fifth name. The unusually long name is a joking reference to the fact that, in many Spanish speaking countries, people use two last names (which, in some cases, are composed of two or more words) and commonly has one or even more middle names, and in some cases, like Juan Nepomuceno Carlos Pérez-Rulfo Vizcaíno's or María del Rosario Mercedes Laura Jennifer Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza's, they are pretty large. Quintero González is Panchito's last name; according to Spanish naming, Quintero would be his father's last name and González his mother's. This full name was mostly maintained in Legend of the Three Caballeros, only dropping Junipero from his name.

As there is no reference to his surname "Pistoles", some people assume that it is another nickname. The word "Pistoles" does not exist in Spanish, although "Pistolas" would mean guns, specifically handguns or pistols. Probably the -E in Pistolas was a phonetical adaptation to ease pronunciation for non-Spanish-speakers in the United States. His surname is likely Pistolas because he is seen with two handguns in some scenes of The Three Caballeros.

The merchandise location at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort at Walt Disney World is named Panchito's Gifts and Sundries, and features Panchito's likeness on its sign.

In April 2007, Walt Disney World re-introduced Panchito (along with the second Caballero, José Carioca), in the newly revamped ride at Epcot's Mexico Pavilion with entirely new animation and a new storyline. It has been dubbed "The Gran Fiesta Tour". In the storyline, the reunited Three Caballeros are set to play a show in Mexico City. Donald Duck goes missing, and José and Panchito must search throughout Mexico for Donald as he takes in various sights around Mexico. The animation was apparently directed by Eric Goldberg.[5]

Panchito can also be seen in the Hong Kong Disneyland version of It's a Small World, which opened on April 28, 2008, as well as the Disneyland (in California) version of It's a Small World, installed during major refurbishments between January and November 2008.

José and Panchito's costumes were extinct at the Disneyland Resort by 2011, but were re-Imagineered for Mickey's Soundsational Parade. They now appear daily with Donald Duck and dancers with a float where Donald is trying to hit a Pinata.

In late 2012, Panchito appears with José and Donald in Disney California Adventure's ¡Viva Navidad! celebration for the holiday seasons.[6]

Señor Martinez is the anthropomorphic horse of Panchito Pistoles. Señor Martinez first appeared in a 1944 newspaper strip, written by Bill Walsh and drawn by Paul Murry.[7] Recently the horse made appearances in "The Three Caballeros Ride Again" and "The Magnificent Seven (Minus Four) Caballeros", both stories written and drawn by Don Rosa. However, Don Rosa chose to draw Señor Martinez as a 'realistic' horse, instead of sticking with his more cartoonish original appearance.

Present-day B-25J with Panchito nose art

During World War II, the Mexican Escuadrón 201 used Panchito Pistoles as its mascot.

The U.S. Army Air Force operated a North American Aviation B-25J Mitchell, serial number 43-28147, which was named and decorated with the likeness of Panchito as her nose art. She operated with the 41st Bombardment Group in the Central Pacific theater from December 1943 to October 1944 and was eventually scrapped in 1949.

Also the Swedish Air force had a P51 decorated with Panchito. The P51 was called J26 in Sweden and this air craft, "Röd Erik" (Red Erik), belonged to the 3rd division at the 16th wing outside Uppsala. The decoration was painted 1946 by Sture Mattsson.[8]

Today, another B-25J Mitchell, serial number 44-30734, flies as a replica of the original Panchito. Delivered on February 1945, she operated with the U.S. Army Air Force until being sold into civilian service in 1959. Restored in 1986, today she flies with the Rag Wings and Radials airshow performers.[9]

• "How Disney Combines Living Actors with His Cartoon Characters", Popular Science, Sept 1944.

• Panchito Pistoles at Inducks
• Señor Martinez at Inducks