Agustín Arenas Cardozo , known as Super Taldo , is 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 being treated in a psychiatric hospital because he was suffering from Tourette’s Syndrome.

The interview took place on April 12, 1974 for TVN, but it was not broadcast to safeguard the dignity of the little Augustine, who at that time had strong tics and pronounced foul words due to his pathology.The recording remained hidden until, at the height of the social networks, the video was filtered and circulated on various pages. It became a viral video because of its striking behavior.

Who’s Super Taldo?

Agustín Gerardo Arenas Cardozo is a Chilean character who was born in 1960 and is better known as Super Taldo or AGAC (his initials). He became famous for a video that became popular on the Internet in which he appeared because he suffered from Tourette’s Syndrome. Interestingly, the acronym for Tourette’s Syndrome matches that of Super Taldo.

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

A report that went viral on the Internet

During the audiovisual interview, 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 himself and gave that name to. The character of Super Taldo is, in Augustine’s own words, a superhero from a novel he created, which tackles crime, injustice and discrimination.

The reason why the video never came to light until a few years ago was the inappropriate language that Agustín Arenas involuntarily used. The report was finally made public approximately 25 years later, after a leak on Chilean National Television. Some time later it was posted on the Internet, where it quickly became viralized by the strange behavior shown by the young Super Taldo .

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

What is Tourette’s Syndrome?

Tourette’s Syndrome or S Gilles de Tourette’s Syndrome (named after Georges Gilles de Tourette, who first described the disorder in 1885) is a neurological disorder characterized by involuntary, purposeless movements and sounds made by the sufferer .

These movements are repeated intermittently, and in situations of stress, they usually increase. Some of the sounds may include inappropriate language (for example, name-calling or obscenities). The first symptoms usually appear between the ages of eight and 11. 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’s Syndrome is a hereditary disease.

You can learn more about this condition in our article: “Tourette’s Syndrome: What is it and how does it manifest itself?”

Super Taldo today

But what has happened to Super Taldo? What is the life of this character? Many wonder if Augustine still suffers from Tourette’s 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 town of Conchalí, but his illness is under control thanks to the treatment he has received and the three operations he has undergone. He hardly has any tics, although he still suffers from some involuntary reflexes.

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

Don’t miss the recovered Super Taldo video below . An example of courage, dignity and fight of this gentleman.