To be a joke, this has already gone too far. Like a good part of the things that happen in Mexico, it all started as an occurrence, a joke or a prank. But the musicians and artists who have received (often full in the face) a stuffed figure of Dr. Simi as an object of love from their fans, know that this is not a joke and, instead, a phenomenon.
The stamp of José José has remained in the past when they threw flowers at him when interpreting El Triste. Today is Dr. Simi’s stuffed animal. Rosalía, Coldplay, The Strokes, Lady Gaga, The Killers and more recently Franz Ferdinand are just a few examples of international concerts where one or more stuffed animals of the curious bald doctor with a white mustache have fallen. In a Mexico that is just taking to the streets and reviving the stages after a long period of silence due to the covid-19 pandemic, nothing reflects more the love of a musical fan than throwing a stuffed animal of Dr. Simi on stage. And if you hit your favorite artist and show it to the public, even better.
To understand the popularity of the stuffed animal at concerts and festivals, we must go back to the figure it represents. Dr Sim It is a caricatured picture of a fat, bald doctor with a white mustache, the commercial figure of the Farmacias Similares chain, a conglomerate of establishments that distribute generic drugs of their own brand and that also have, on many occasions, a doctor’s office.
Its importance in the country is no small thing, since Similar Pharmacies serve an average of 7 million Mexicans, according to figures from the pharmaceutical firm, while offices of the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) serve some 6 million in the same period. Recently, this and another pharmacy chain came under criticism from health authorities in Mexico due to the conditions in which they provide their services. Of course, in public clinics there are no stuffed animals of doctors, while at the exit of one of Dr. Simi’s offices the patient you can bring a stuffed animal for 150 pesos.
This broad figure represents one of the founders of the pharmacy chain, Víctor González Torres, the founder of Farmacias Similares, who began his career in the distribution of similar (or non-patent) medicines. with two branches in 2005. Today, with more than 8,000 pharmacies and more than 6,000 offices, the chain not only distributes medicines, but also has its own brand of cosmetics, food supplements and various products, the most popular being Dr. Simi’s stuffed animals.
Music and stuffed animals to heal hearts
The first release record of doctor Simi that is recorded on social networks is at the 2021 Corona Capital festival. The user identified as Avril Christelle threw the good-natured doctor’s stuffed toy onto the stage where the Norwegian singer-songwriter Aurora was performing. “I needed an antibacterial gel to enter the concert, I bought the stuffed animal and went to the concert with it”, the user recounted in an interview on TikTok. “It was an idea that came out of nowhere: what if I throw it at him?” she recalls.
Then the phenomenon traveled outside of Mexico. In Toronto, Lady Gaga almost received a chip on her face from a 12-inch stuffed animal of this figure. Soon enough, the user known simply as Richie received a lot of criticism for hitting the singer. “Obviously I didn’t want to hit her in the face,” he said later, explaining that he had brought the doll and stamped affectionate messages for her favorite artist.
When Rosalía appeared in Mexico City and Monterrey there was not only a barrage of applause, but dozens of stuffed animals of Dr. Simi showing off on stage. The interpreter of mommy He not only showed the offerings that his followers left him, but he later showed off his treasures on his social networks. “Thank you, Monterrey,” she said in one of her Instagram stories of her wearing the dolls with a wide smile.
In addition to the classic figure of Dr. Simi who wears a doctor’s shirt and gown, the CINIA company is in charge of making more than 20 models with different costumes: Christmas Simi, firefighter Simi, lumberjack Simi… if Barbie did it, doctor Simi can also . The company that manufactures them employs a hundred people with disabilities who work under commission for the Best Foundation, also founded by Víctor González Torres, the legendary doctor Simi.
The rejection of stuffed animals
Not everyone has liked being showered with stuffed animals from a doctor. While some international performers have only ignored the figures, Mexican artists such as Alejandro Fernández or Jose Madero they have decidedly rejected them.
Given the hundred concerts and festivals that are planned in various cities in Mexico for the remainder of 2022, both organizers and fans seek to stop the phenomenon of Dr. Simi’s flying stuffed animals. In Guadalajara, a sign at the entrance of the Telmex Auditorium strictly prohibited entry with any type of stuffed animal.
Meanwhile, the followers of the German band Rammstein, which will perform in October in Mexico City, have called any possible teddy-launcher not to throw any kind of doll. “Rammstein has a very meticulous show and any outside situation can lead to an anger from the band (they end up removing us from the next DVD, don’t do it!),” some fan sites have said.
Rejection or smiles, the stuffed figures of Dr. Simi have not gone unnoticed in shows in Mexico either, where Mexicans peculiarly express their admiration for their favorite bands and artists. Meanwhile, Dr. Simi warns that he will be there.
subscribe here to newsletter of EL PAÍS Mexico and receive all the informative keys of the news of this country
We would like to give thanks to the writer of this article for this awesome material
From the office to the stage: Dr. Simi becomes an “unknown” star of concerts in Mexico