El Chapulín Colorado ('The Red Grasshopper or as Captain Hopper in the English version of the animated series) is a Mexican television comedy series that ran from 1973 to 1979 and parodied superhero shows. It was created by Roberto Gómez Bolaños (Chespirito), who also played the main character. It was first aired by Canal de las Estrellas in 1970 in Mexico, and then was aired across Latin America and Spain until 1981, alongside El Chavo, which shared the same cast of actors. Both shows have endured in re-runs and have won back some of their popularity in several countries such as Colombia or Peru, where it has aired in competition with The Simpsons. The name translates literally in English as "The Red Grasshopper" (the word chapulín is of Nahuatl origin and applies to a Mexican species of grasshopper, while "colorado" refers to having conspicuous red coloration.). The main character uses a conspicuous red uniform. It is known in Brazil as "Chapolin", "Vermelhinho" ("Little Red One") and "Polegar Vermelho" ("Red Thumb") in allusion to the famous fairy tale character Tom Thumb.