A pink-mad elderly woman has celebrated her 108th birthday with a themed bash based on her favourite colour with the little girl’s hero Penelope Pitstop following on from a Barbie themed birthday last year.
Birthday gal Joana Ricardina was born on 2nd May 1916 and is among the oldest living people in her native Brazil.
The party-loving old woman has barely allowed her true age to show as she keeps on a positive spirit and lively appearance, her family reveals.
Last year, Joana’s closest relatives threw her a Barbie-themed birthday celebration since they say she loves the doll, which had not even been invented when she was a little girl, and she especially loves the colour pink.
This year, Joana’s family decided to continue the tradition of having pink-themed parties as she turned 108 years old based on the cartoon character Penelope Pitstop, who appeared in the 1968 American animated series Wacky Races and the spin-off The Perils of Penelope Pitstop, complete with creative decorations, including the character’s car, for a photo opportunity of Joana “at the wheel.”
Thanks to her youthful charm, and her love of pink, Joana is followed by internet users from all over the country.
She has an Instagram profile which is managed by photographer Jennifer Nascimento, who decided to ask fans for ideas about this year’s party.
Jennifer explained: “I posted on her story asking what theme could not lack pink. A follower from BH, Carol, suggested Penelope Pitstop, and we loved the idea and put it into practice.”
Jennifer also highlighted Joana’s excitement for the party each year.
She said: “We do this out of love for her, and because every year she asks my sister Jack if her little party will be held.”
The idea first came to fruition last year, when Joana’s great-granddaughter Jacqueline Sthephanie, decided to organise the Barbie-themed bash.
Jacqueline previously told local media: “She really enjoys (her birthday). She’s the kind of person who isn’t waiting for death, she wants to live and celebrate.”
Jacqueline said of last year’s party: “In January, she looked at me and said, ‘It’s getting close, isn’t it?’ I asked her what she was talking about, and she said it was her birthday.
“She told me, ‘I’m sure you won’t let it pass unnoticed.’ I joked and said we wouldn’t do anything.”
According to Jacqueline, her great-grandmother does not remember the exact date of her birthday but knows it is in May.
She said previously: “When the month started, she became restless. Usually, we celebrate after Mother’s Day.”
Now, at 108 years old, Joana’s concern after the party was only one: whether she would be alive for next year’s party.
The photographer recounted: “This year she leaned out of her window, which faces the place where we always hold the party, and she was looking at it.
“She had a serene, distant look; we didn’t know what she was thinking. At the end of the party, she asked, ‘Will I have it again next year? Will I be alive?'”
