Departures of note

Guido De Maria was an Italian designer, cartoonist, television author, and advertising director born in Lama Mocogno on the Modenese Apennines. He began as a humorous cartoonist for national and international publications such as the weekly Epoca, before moving into advertising in the early 1960s, where he co-founded the Vimder film production house and directed over 1,200 Carosello commercials and spots, including the famous Salomone pirata pacioccone campaign for Amarena Fabbri, on which Francesco Guccini and Bonvi collaborated.

He reached wide national fame in the 1970s when, together with Giancarlo Governi, he created and directed the RAI programs Gulp! I Fumetti in TV and SuperGulp!, pioneering the television language of the "fumetto in TV" (comics on TV). He created the character Giumbolo and, with Bonvi, co-created the beloved detective Nick Carter. For SuperGulp! he also composed the show's theme songs with musician Franco Godi, and the Giumbolo single sold over 100,000 copies.

In the 1990s he served as co-director of the humorous weekly Comix, published by Franco Cosimo Panini, and continued his career as an advertising director and producer. He died in Modena on 31 August 2026 at the age of 93.