Los Chicos was a popular boy band in Puerto Rico, created to rival Menudo's success. The band was created by Eric Laboy in 1978, with the name Encuentro. Due to a political campaign slogan, the name was changed to Los Chicos, which translates to The Kids. They enjoyed huge success during the early 1980s, particularly in Puerto Rico and Central America. A movie (Conexión Caribe) was filmed and a tv show hosted weekly on Puerto Rico's WAPA-TV. Many songs, including Puerto Rico son Los Chicos, Ave María and Mamma Mia became radio favorites, and memorabilia items like posters were mass produced. Los Chicos became national sponsors for Malta Corona and Mahones Savage (Savage Jeans). In October 1983, three of the original members, Ray, Migue and Chayanne, quit the group, alleging poor working conditions. Carlos Alfonso continued the group with Tony and three new group members (Tico Santana, Jorge Lopez, and Al