Some flattering product-placement

MORTADELO and Filemon are well-known and well-loved Spanish characters.

Created by Francisco Ibañez, they first appeared in a long-gone children’s comic in 1958 and are still going strong.

So strong, that they feature in a full-length box-office hit, “Mortadelo y Filemon contra Jimmy el Cachondo” whose posters show them on a motor-scooter with an “I ♥ Benidorm” sticker.

“The film is a homage to Spain, its customs and the details that make up our culture,” said the film’s producer Eneko Gutierrez. “Benidorm is so emblematic that if you wanted a sticker, it would have to be this one and no other.”

Benidorm mayor Agustin Navarro was delighted by the sticker.  “It’s an honour to see the town’s name in one of 2014’s most successful films,” he said.