We’re sad to say that our dear friend Maria Perego, creator of Topo Gigio, passed away yesterday morning in her beautiful home in Milan. The mouse puppet that she made in the late 1950s in Italy became a worldwide phenomenon on The Ed Sullivan Show. Topo Gigio was a regular from his first appearance in 1962 to the end of the show’s run in 1971. Topo went on to appear in magazines, cartoons, albums, and even his own full length motion picture. To this day the little mouse is still a pop icon.

R.I.P. Maria Perego (1923-2019)