Wal-Mart removes Mexican comic criticized as racist

By Alex Dobuzinskis

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it removed the comic book "Memin Pinguin" from its stores after receiving complaints the popular Mexican character was a racist depiction of blacks.

The series started 60 years ago in Mexico, and the main character, Memin Pinguin, is a black Cuban-Mexican boy with enlarged lips who often gets into mischief.

Wal-Mart recently started offering the Spanish-language comic in parts of California, Texas and Miami, where the giant retailer serves large populations of Hispanic customers.

"We understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivities to the negative image Memin can convey to some we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores," said Lorenzo Lopez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart.

"We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book's images," Lopez added.

A black woman in Houston told the Houston Chronicle this week she complained about the comic books after seeing them at a Wal-Mart.

"I said, wait a minute: Is this a monkey or a little black boy?" Shawnedria McGinty told the newspaper. "I was so upset. This is 2008."

Many Mexicans argue Memin Pinguin is misunderstood in the United States and that he is a lovable character and not a racist depiction of blacks.

Memin Pinguin was at the center of a controversy in 2005, when the Mexican postal service issued a series of stamps featuring the character.

President George W. Bush called the stamps offensive, which put him at odds with Mexico's then president, Vicente Fox.

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Peter Cooney)