A '13, Rue del Percebe' Style at Alicante's Hogueras

Who doesn't remember Manolo from the attic or the thief Ceferino Raffles and his wife? And the janitor or Doña Leonor and her pension? Yes, these are the iconic characters from the comic series '13, Rue del Percebe', created by Ibáñez; who will be replaced this June by more Alicante-themed characters.

The El Cabasset barraca has drawn inspiration from the cartoons of the Barcelona cartoonist, also creator of 'Mortadelo y Filemón', to construct and raise its portal on General Lazy Street in Alicante, from the access on Maisonnave Avenue.

It will be at this intersection where a new building with nine properties, or scenes depending on how you look at it, will rise. In them, well-known spaces will be seen, such as the grocery store, the janitor's office - already revealed in the ninot exhibition at the Fish Market -, the rooftop or the attic. Also the elevator and, of course, the sewer.

In them, Alicante characters and some slightly more foreign ones will appear, on whom this Alicante barraca will pour all its criticism. Thus, transformed into '13, Rue de les Fogueres', El Cabasset is finalizing the construction of a portal that will leave no one indifferent.

Not only because of the content of each cartoon, with its own volume, but also because of the innovation in the format which "has never been seen before". "We are going to take risks and the portal will be inclined so that the visibility of each scene is comfortable at street level," explains its president, José Manuel Sampere.

Thus, the building that will form this '13, Rue de les Fogueres', about ten meters high, will have this unique format, as well as being safe. Among the surprises, the portal of El Cabasset will also be suspended from the ground "to avoid any risk in case of a storm", with the intention that water can flow normally without it acting as a barrier.

Moreover, the format of this building brought to volume by nearly 40 barraquers of El Cabasset will also be kinetic, featuring wheels that will allow some of its scenes to be moved. "We are committed to being innovative," boasts Sampere.

Developing this structure, which already has shape and is waiting to be set up on General Lazy Street for its plantà, has not been easy, but in the barraca they have partners with knowledge in architecture and engineering, which allows them to take risks safely.

"Based on safety, we propose a design that is striking and a focal point of attraction," as its location is privileged, not only for being central but also for its proximity to the mascletàs and the start of the parades, as well as being on Alicante's main commercial street.

And speaking of this element, Sampere also recalls that their racó is conceived from safety. The upper crossings have a special fencing system that allows the wires to be removed with total ease to facilitate the passage of emergency vehicles, if necessary.

From the El Cabasset barraca, they are clear that "Fogueres without criticism are incomplete", because of this and, with their portal, they want "to help ensure there is criticism". This will be reflected in the different scenes that make up their '13, Rue de les Fogueres', with one already visible in the ninot exhibition.

In this proposal, starring the building's janitor, they allude to the fact that "when you stop being bellea you no longer matter". Other characters and entities also appear in this scene full of criticism, such as the rats coming out of the sewer and the owl that dictates "senyor pirotècnic, no pot començar la mascletà". Of course, everything that happens in '13, Rue de les Fogueres' are "invented" stories, emphasizes José Manuel Sampere.

In the El Cabasset portal "any resemblance to reality is purely coincidental", as everything that happens in these flat perspective cartoons "is fictional". To create it, they have had several collaborations. The bulk, the building's structure and the script, is the work of the barraquers themselves, while the ninot in the exhibition is by Fernando Miquel and the illustrations of the characters by David Hernández (Hercha).

The support in Ibáñez's comics, as is the case with '13, Rue del Percebe', is given to show that Alicante is an important city for comics, they boast from the barraca. "It is not known as such but it has great authors", like Fran Fuentes with 'Capitán Trueno' which has "a lot of potential abroad".

Since 2016, the barraquers of El Cabasset have been in charge of constructing their portal. All of them share common aspects: "We rely on Alicante things with a global look towards the rest of the world," explains Sampere about the ideas that arise every September.

The dimensions and content of the portals are something that sets them apart. "Our portals are in everyone's mind", you only need to look back to remember their replica of the Alicante Town Hall or the recreations of the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, the tram, and a Ferris wheel.

These portals, along with the upcoming '13, Rue de les Fogueres', compete in the Special category of the barracas. Planting in this section is only possible if the work is done by the barraquers themselves, as "just in material we spend more than what is the minimum to plant in Special", that is, the value of the portal could be the same as that of a fourth-category bonfire commissioned to an artist.