Santo Alligo was born in 1948 in Roccalumera (ME). When he was 5 years old his family moved to Turin. After graduating from the Civica Scuola d'Arte Ceramica he became assistant to ceramist Anna Maria Carusi, where he helped her make large bas-reliefs in patinated terracotta. At the age of sixteen he was employed as a graphic designer/illustrator at the Armando Testa advertising studio, where he created, in 1967, the hippo Pippo for Lines diaper carousels. In his short essay, Manuel Carrera, historian and art critic, writes: "Among the absolute protagonists of the Carousel born within the Testa Studio, Pippo, the Lines hippo, remains to this day one of the most memorable, to the point of bordering on myth. It was made by a very young and talented Santo Alligo, then freshly trained between the Civica Scuola d'Arte Ce- ramica and Anna Maria Carusi's studio. The realization of Pippo fits right into his artistic career and can be defined as his first important experience as a contemporary sculptor [\.] Of Pippo, however, in addition to the image, there remains an unparalleled vivacity, a freshness of content that is the happy and imperishable fruit of Santo Alligo's creativity." An advertising graphic designer and illustrator, he works for major Italian agencies and industries, from Ferrero to Esselunga, San Pellegrino to Levi's. He creates images in which he combines idea and technical expertise, such as Facciasciutta and Trisapore, judged by Federico Zeri to be "beautiful inventions". This piece has an attribution mark, I am sure that it is completely authentic and take full responsibility for any authenticity issues arising from misattribution