Dr. Simi is continuing his rounds in Chicago, this time at Sueños Music Festival.
The iconic mascot of Mexico’s largest pharmaceutical franchise made a surprise appearance at the fest on Saturday alongside Gov. JB Pritzker. The visit marked Pritzker’s first time attending Sueños in Grant Park.
The unlikely trio joined forces to address festival attendees at what is the latest stop on Pritzker’s re-election campaign. “¡Hola, mi gente!” said the governor as thousands of Sueños fans cheered in response. Near him, Dr. Simi, dressed in a tux, danced energetically.
Pritzker came out to hype the crowd up for Venezuelan artist Danny Ocean, who made his appearance on stage minutes later.
“We live in the greatest city in the world: The city of Chicago,” Pritzker said to even more applause. “I’m so proud of the people in Chicago because I know the Latino community has been under a lot of stress over the last year. But the people of Chicago have stood up for one another. We protect one another.”
But all three of these figures come from extremely different worlds — music, politics and healthcare. So what exactly do they have in common?For starters, Dr. Simi represents a budget-friendly chain of pharmacies and low-cost clinics throughout Mexico, Colombia and Chile: the Farmacias Similares. Ocean, a producer and singer-songwriter from Venezuela, has used his music to address displacement and the lack of healthcare in Latin America. And access to affordable healthcare is one of Pritzker’s cornerstone campaign promises.
“This appearance is a nod to everything Dr. Simi represents for the Latino community — most of all, the fight for affordable healthcare,” said a campaign spokesperson in a press release.
Sueños organizers announced Dr. Simi as the latest addition to the Sunday lineup on Tuesday. He is slated to DJ at the La Plaza stage at 7 p.m.
Can’t make it to the festival? The character will also DJ on Memorial Day at a Sueños takeover event at Recess, 838 W. Kinzie St. in the West Loop. The daytime party will feature performances from LEMANZ and Maestro Shifu. Attendance is free with an RSVP, or fans can guarantee entry by purchasing a $40 ticket.
Dr. Simi first appeared in Chicago on May 16 with a SimiFiesta event at the CVS Pharmacy in Ukrainian Village. He has since appeared as a DJ at a few restaurants and clubs, including Momento Cantina in the Loop.
As the mascot of the popular chain Farmacias Similares, Dr. Simi paintings and posters regularly appear at protests and in political cartoons throughout Mexico, where the brand operates thousands of budget pharmacies. Their slogan is “Lo mismo pero más barato” (The same for less).
Recently, the brand expanded its products to select locations in the U.S. Dr. Simi-branded plushies have sold out at two CVS locations in Chicago. They’re stocked at CVS stores in two Latino-heavy suburbs, Elgin and Waukegan.