Actress Kim Basinger dreamed of building a play area for children. But without a lot of technological sophistication, without attractions that function by themselves. She wanted a park where children could step on the ground and play with mud as she had done when she was a child in the little town of Braselton, some 40 minutes from Atlanta, Georgia.

Then why not repeat it all right in Braselton?

From that idea of hers a project was born, beginning with the purchase of her home town. There would be built the park that would be called "Mud Pie," and a character based on the child Kim would be its symbol. But she needed someone to draw little Kim and other characters, and to develop the attractions.

That was when Kim heard about Mauricio’s work (through a Brazilian secretary of hers).

She had dozens of Monica & Friends comic books bought and translated, was enchanted with the philosophy of the stories, fell in love with Smudge, and sent a partnership proposal to Mauricio, who accepted it with enthusiasm.

Then followed a number of meetings in the U.S. and Brazil, during which ideas about characters and attractions were developed.

Until the process came to a halt due to a problem Kim had when she refused to appear in a film ("Boxing Helena"). A long legal process, which fortunately ended well for Kim, followed by a pregnancy, postponed "Mud Pie."