Dr. Simi might well be Mexico’s most famous stuffed toy. With his bushy grey mustache, big smile, and a white doctor’s coat, anyone who has lived in Mexico for a while has surely seen a Dr. Simi mascot dancing outside a branch of Farmacias Similares, the country’s largest drugstore chain.
But Dr. Simi’s popularity is not limited to Mexico. He’s also famous abroad.
In an unexpected twist, Dr. Simi’s doll has literally landed onto the stages of international superstars like Taylor Swift, Adele, Coldplay and more, launching the beloved puppet to a bizarre stardom that could only happen in Mexico — and giving Farmacías Similares free publicity worldwide.
Who is Dr. Simi and how did he become so popular?
Dr. Simi is the mascot of Farmacías Similares, the world’s second-largest pharmacy chain. It has over 9,000 locations in Mexico and several hundred in Colombia and Chile.
The mascot is inspired by Joaquín Pardavé, an actor from the golden age of Mexican cinema. Dolls featuring Dr. Simi, which are manufactured at a facility that largely employs people with disabilities, are sold throughout the country.
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Recognizable to any Mexican, Dr. Simi’s international fame was pure accident.
It all started in 2021 when 20-year-old Avril Vega smuggled a Dr. Simi doll into that year’s Corona Capital festival in Mexico City.
In an interview with Vice, Vega said that she forgot her antibacterial gel on her way to the festival, a requirement for the event’s relaunch after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She bought the gel at a nearby branch of Farmacías Similares and on a whim grabbed the last Dr. Simi puppet from the shelves.
Upon arriving at the festival, she noticed signs forbidding toys, so she hid the doll at the bottom of her backpack and managed to smuggle it in.
Once inside, she saw fans giving flowers and other gifts to Norwegian singer Aurora during her show. Vega didn’t have anything to offer to her, so she decided to throw her Dr. Simi doll to the musician.
The photo showing Aurora holding the doll went viral the next day. Soon, Mexican concert goers in Mexico and abroad began to throw Dr. Simi’s doll to artists like Adele — who revealed her backstage Dr. Simi’s collection to fans — Maroon 5, Rosalía, Lady Gaga, and more.
The story behind Farmacías Similares
Founded in 1997 by Mexican businessman Víctor González Torres, Similares sells generic drugs up to 75% cheaper than their brand-name equivalents. Every branch also provides access to a doctor for less than US $3.
Similares has locations in over 1,200 municipalities across Mexico, significantly more than the 700 locations that Oxxo, the country’s most popular convenience store, operates. According to Farmacías Similares, its doctors’ offices serve some seven million Mexicans every month.
With reports from El País and BBC Mundo
