Super Taldo: the famous case of the Chilean boy with Tourette’s Syndrome

Agustín Arenas, a 14-year-old boy who became famous for his terrible tics. What was his life like?

Agustin Arenas Cardozoknown as Super Taldois the protagonist of a very popular video in Chile that was recorded 41 years ago and recently (a few years ago) went viral on the Internet.

The interview was conducted by journalist Bernardo de la Maza to a boy who, at the time, was 14 years old, and was receiving treatment in a psychiatric hospital because he suffered from Tourette's Syndrome.

The interview was conducted on April 12, 1974 for TVN, but was not broadcast to safeguard the dignity of little Agustín, who at the time had strong tics and uttered foul language due to his pathology. The recording remained hidden until, at the height of the social networks boom, the video was leaked and circulated through different pages. He became a viral video because of his striking behavior.

Who is Super Taldo?

Agustín Gerardo Arenas Cardozo is a Chilean character who was born in 1960 and is better known as Súper Taldo or AGAC (his initials). He became famous for a video that was popularized on the Internet in which he appeared because he suffered from Tourette's Syndrome. Curiously, the initials of the disease Tourette Syndrome coincide with those of Super Taldo.

At the time of the interview, Agustín was 14 years old. The interviewer was reporter Bernardo De la Maza, former TVN news anchor. Agustin suffered from Tourette's Syndrome and the interviewer encountered a child who suffered from nervous tics and shouted inappropriate words, which is called coprolalia. Despite suffering from this condition, Agustín showed himself to be a restless, dreamy, sincere and intelligent person..

A report that went viral on the Internet

During the interview in audiovisual format, the reporter can be seen very calm, while Agustín repeats inappropriate words. Agustín claims to be an amateur writer and comic book creator. In fact, he is nicknamed Super Taldo because of a character he created and named after himself. The character Súper Taldo is, in Agustín's own words, a superhero from a novel he created himself, who stands up to crime, injustice and discrimination.

The reason the video never came to light until a few years ago was because of the inappropriate language that Agustín Arenas unintentionally used. The report was finally made public approximately 25 years later, after a leak on Chile's National Television. Some time later it was posted on the Internet, where it quickly went viral due to the strange behavior shown by the young Super Taldo..

Below you can watch the Super Taldo report that went viral:

What is Tourette Syndrome?

The Tourette Syndrome o SGilles de Tourette syndrome (named after Georges Gilles de Tourette, who was the first to describe the disorder in 1885) is a neurological disorder characterized by the following characteristics the person who suffers from it makes involuntary movements and sounds without a specific purpose.. 

These movements are repeated intermittently, and in stressful situations, they often increase. Some of the sounds may include inappropriate language (e.g. insults or obscenities). The first symptoms usually appear between eight and eleven years of age. Males are three to four times more likely to have Tourette syndrome than females.

There is no scientific consensus regarding the causes, although some hypotheses suggest that its origin may be associated with a chemical alteration in some regions of the brain (alterations in the amount of dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin). Different investigations have concluded that Tourette Syndrome is a hereditary disease.

You can learn more about this condition in our article, "Tourette Syndrome: what is it and how does it manifest itself?"

Super Taldo today

But what has happened to Súper Taldo? What has become of this character's life? Many wonder if Agustin still suffers from Tourette Syndrome or if, instead, he has managed to rebuild his life without the presence of tics. In 2004, thanks to a Chilean television program, Super Taldo appeared again in television format. Agustín still lives in the Conchalí district, but his disease is under control thanks to the treatment he has followed and the three operations he has undergone. He hardly has any tics, although he still suffers some involuntary reflexes.

Agustín tells us that what has really helped him has been the phosphorus therapywhich consists of building phosphorus models in order to learn to control his tics. Currently, Agustín Arenas has a daughter, works in a packaging company and practices cycling.

Do not miss the video of Super Taldo recovered below.. An example of courage, dignity and struggle of this gentleman.