# Pirilampo Mágico

Pirilampo Mágico (en: "Magic Firefly")is an Portuguese annual charity campaign, aimed at raising funds for the CERCI cooperatives that support children with Intellectual disability and economic hardship. This campaign has taken place every year in May since 1987. As a means of fundraising, stuffed toys representing fireflies are sold. In 2012, the 25th anniversary of this campaign was celebrated. Up to 2012, approximately 16.5 million euros were raised.

## History

The doll was conceived by the graphic designer Mário Jorge Fernandes, then working at Radiodifusão Portuguesa. At a time when the CERCI were facing financial difficulties, Jaime Calado, then president of CERCI Lisboa, took part in the radio program "A Arte de Bem Madrugar" on Antena 1, where journalist José Manuel Nunes mentioned a national charity campaign in the United Kingdom "associated with a friendly creature". As a result, the idea emerged to design a campaign that would create "a symbol that appealed to a childlike dimension of charity, but that had some meaning" with the keywords "magic", "solidarity" and "light", according to Rogério Cação, vice-president of the Federação Nacional de Cooperativas de Solidariedade Social.
In 1999, along with the traditional Pirilampo Mágico, a female version known as "Miss Pirilampo Mágico", in a different colour and featuring a paper bow, was sold. The following year, the miss was sold again, but with a fabric bow. There have been no further editions in which two different pirilampos were sold.
In 2018, the Pirilampo Mágico campaign faced delays due to changes in the manufacturing of the pirilampos, which began to be made of rubber. Consequently, a second sales phase was held in October for the first time. The following year, the design of the rubber pirilampos was updated.
In 2020, the campaign was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pirilampos were produced but were only sold in October 2021, although they were dated 2020. The 2022 campaign also took place in October and, for accounting purposes, the pirilampos from that year are dated 2021/22. It was only in 2023 that the campaign returned to being held in May.

### Sales

In the first edition, approximately 92,000 pirilampos mágicos were sold; in 2012, around 800,000 were sold, and in the years 1995 and 2000, sales exceeded 1 million. From the first campaign until that of 2019, a total of 23,264,139 pirilampos were sold.

## Editions

| # | Year | Body | Feet and Antenna | Sponsorship | Price |
| 1st | 1987 | Blue-green | Black | Antena1, Cerci's | |
| 2nd | 1988 | Yellow-orange | Black | Antena1, Cerci's | |
| 3rd | 1989 | Dark purple | Black | Antena1, Cerci's | |
| 4th | 1990 | Fuchsia pink | Black | Antena1, Cerci's | |
| 5th | 1991 | Yellow | Black | Antena1, Fenacerci | |
| 6th | 1992 | Blue | Black | Antena1, Fenacerci | 300$ |
| 7th | 1993 | White | Black | RDP1, Fenacerci | |
| 8th | 1994 | Red | Black | Antena1, Fenacerci | |
| 9th | 1995 | Light blue | Black | Antena1, Fenacerci | 300$ |
| 10th | 1996 | Green | Black | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | 300$ |
| 11th | 1997 | Black | Yellow (antenna)  Red (feet) | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | 300$ |
| 12th | 1998 | Dark blue | White (antenna)  Yellow (feet) | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | |
| 13th | 1999 | Pink  Dark blue (miss) | Dark blue  White (antenna)  Yellow (feet and bow) | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | 350$ |
| 14th | 2000 | Gray  Dark gray (miss) | Dark blue  Red (antenna, feet and bow) | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | |
| 15th | 2001 | Bright orange | Black | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | |
| 16th | 2002 | Dry orange | Black | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 17th | 2003 | Dark green | Yellow | RDP Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 18th | 2004 | Dark green (front) Red (back) | Yellow | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 19th | 2005 | Dark blue (front)  Fuchsia pink (back) | Yellow | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 20th | 2006 | Dark red (main)  Golden (secondary) | Yellow | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 21st | 2007 | Yellow (main)  Golden (secondary) | Yellow | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 22nd | 2008 | Light green | Sky blue | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 23rd | 2009 | Purple | Yellow | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 24th | 2010 | Salmon | Red | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 25th | 2011 | White (main) Silver (secondary) | Black | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 26th | 2012 | Sky blue | Brown | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 27th | 2013 | Turquoise | Dark blue | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 28th | 2014 | Lilac | Dark purple | Antena1, Fenacerci | 2€ |
| 29th | 2015 | Vivid pink | Dark gray | Antena1, Fenacerci, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 30th | 2016 | Lettuce green | Gray | Antena1, Fenacerci, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 31st | 2017 | Roasted yellow (front)  Dark blue (back) | Dark blue | Antena1, Fenacerci, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 32nd | 2018 | Light blue-green (top)  Dark blue-green (bottom) | Dark blue-green (antenna)  White (feet) | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 33rd | 2019 | Roasted yellow (top)  Orange (bottom) | Orange | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 34th | 2021 | Red | Red | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 35th | 2022 | Dark blue | Dark blue | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 36th | 2023 | Green | Green | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2€ |
| 37th | 2024 | Yellow (top)  White (bottom) | White | Fenacerci, Antena1, RTP+ | 2,20€ |

## Music

* 1993 - Pirilampo Mágico 93 (CD, SPA, 4 tracks) also includes themes from 1991, 1992 and an instrumental from 1993. Guest artists: Adelaide Ferreira, Ministars, Onda Choc, Popeline, Sandra & João.
* 1999 - Pirilampo Mágico 99 (CD, EMI - Valentim de Carvalho, 2 tracks) includes "O Pirilampo Mágico" and "Pirilampo rap". Guest artists: Carlos Ramon (autor), Pedro Magalhães, João Canto e Castro, António Machado, Miguel Velez.
* 2006 - Hino do Pirilampo Mágico 2006 (CD) (20 anos do Pirilampo Mágico) Guest artists: Maria Ana Bobone (interpretação), Alexandre Honrado (letra) and Zé da Ponte (música e direcção).