Folcatrua: design de jogo como resgate e memória do folclore brasileiro

Abstract

The present study aims to analyze characters from Brazilian folklore, considering both those widely known on a national scale, such as Saci-Pererê, Iara, Curupira, and the Pink River Dolphin, as well as characters with more restricted regional circulation, such as Papa Figo, Corpo-Seco and Romãozinho. The research is based on the understanding that Brazilian folklore constitutes an important intangible cultural heritage, directly related to collective memory, oral tradition, and the construction of the country’s cultural identity. In this sense, the study seeks to understand the factors that contribute to the broad visibility of certain characters, while others remain little known, restricted to local contexts, or in the process of being forgotten. Methodologically, the research is based on a bibliographic review, drawing on classical authors in folklore and popular culture studies, such as Luís da Câmara Cascudo, Renato Almeida, and Carlos Rodrigues Brandão, as well as documents and guidelines from UNESCO and the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN). The study also incorporates theoretical contributions on memory, cultural identity, and representation in order to understand the processes of circulation, permanence, and erasure of these narratives within the Brazilian social imagination. The results show that the dissemination of folkloric characters in Brazil occurs unevenly: while some have been consolidated as national symbols through children’s literature, textbooks, television adaptations, and other media, others remain linked to regional traditions and specific communities, receiving less visibility in educational and media spaces. As a practical outcome of the research, a card game inspired by Brazilian folklore is developed with the aim of promoting contact with both well-known and lesser-known characters through a visual and interactive language. The project uses references from woodcut printmaking and cordel literature as its aesthetic basis, seeking to articulate design, culture, and memory in a product capable of valuing the narrative diversity of Brazilian folklore. It is concluded that recognizing and disseminating these characters is essential to strengthening intangible cultural heritage and contributing to the construction of a plural Brazilian identity.