El Cucui

A nursery bogie invoked by Chicano mothers to keep their children obedient. If a child misbehaved or was disobedient, the mother would say Hay viene el cucui! — "Here comes the bogeyman!"

El Cucui and El Coco were believed to snatch naughty children who have misbehaved.

References

Source

  • Castro, Rafaela G. (2000). Dictionary of Chicano Folklore. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, Inc.