MILWAUKEE — What might look like a regular coloring book is anything but that. Instead, it's a love letter to Milwaukee, and especially the people who make it such a great city.
Introducing, 'El Barrio Milwaukee', the coloring book. 'El Barrio' means the neighborhood in Spanish. The design was inspired by the popular 'Homies' toys. Each cartoon in the book is a real person who calls Milwaukee home. It was created by Carlos Herrada and his wife, and tested by their young daughter.
“Basically, because it embodies, you know, everything about my neighborhood, from landmarks to people to community leaders, everyone that I can think of that’s been part of, you know, we have musicians, we have a little bit of everything. It really felt like El Barrio was the correct name for something like this," Carlos Herrada said.
One picture represents when Carlos' friend filmed a music video for the Milwaukee rapper GP in front of an El Rey grocery store, another drawing depicts a Milwaukee boxer, and towards the end of the book, there is a guy who is a member of Los Impalas low rider club.
“This project was really cool because people were able to, you know, really connect and identify themselves in this, and a lot of us know each other from the south side, so it’s really cool to see, and to see one of your homies, you know, be part of this project. Hey, that’s my brother. Hey, that’s my cousin or something," Herrada said.
He even included the iconic graffiti 'S' that so many kids drew in middle school and high school.
Herrada got the idea for this toward the end of 2020. With the help of his wife, he got photos from people he knew, and those he didn’t, and turned them into these cartoons that resemble the popular 'Homies' characters.
As of April 16th, he is accepting pre-orders. Reach out to him on Facebook at Carlos Herrada or on Instagram at Charlie_Made_It. He hopes to fulfill orders in the next week or so.
“I would love to have this in (Milwaukee Public Schools). I’m making it kid-friendly, so everybody in the community can own one of these," Herrada said.
The book also includes fun matching games, spot-the-difference activities, and fill-in-the-blank sections. Herrada made it for adults and kids to enjoy.
Among the many people in the coloring book is Herrada and his family. The cover features them standing in front of the Milwaukee Domes, and another photo shows them in front of the grocery store El Campesino.
“I used to be a kid and go with my parents to get groceries and go and get our little figurines from there," Herrada said.
From collecting Homies toys to turning his neighbors into Homies-inspired cartoons, it’s a full-circle moment. And his way of saying thank you to the city and people of Milwaukee.
Watch the video below to see more of the coloring book...
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