He began his career as an illustrator in the region of Mogi das Cruzes, near Santa Isabel, where he was born. At the age of 19, he moved to São Paulo and, for five years, worked at the Folha da Manhã newspaper (now Folha de S.Paulo), writing police reports. In 1959, he created his first character, the puppy Bidu. From there came Cebolinha, Cascão, Mônica, and many others. In 1970, he launched Mônica magazine. After working at Editora Abril and Editora Globo, he signed a contract with the Italian multinational Panini.