With his tight red body suit and bouncing antennae sticking out of his head, the Mexican comedian Chespirito became a legend in his home country - and also inspired one of the Simpson’s most bizarre characters.

While most people outside Latin America may not have heard of Roberto Gómez Bolaños, who has died aged 85, they will be familiar with the Bumblebee Man – the brightly coloured comic in the enduring US cartoon series who stars in a Spanish-language sitcom.

The Bumblebee Man was inspired by Chespirito’s naive superhero, El Chapulín Colorado, or the Crimson Grasshopper.

The goofy superhero, whose antennae helped him detect danger miles away, also wore yellow shorts and boots, giving him the look of a red bumblebee. His morning show was a staple for preschoolers.

Chespirito’s other famous character was El Chavo del Ocho, who was hugely popular in Latin America and beyond with his barrel, freckles, striped shirt and frayed cap.

In a career that started in the 1950s, Chespirito wrote hundreds of television episodes, 20 films and theatre productions that drew record-breaking audiences.

The Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto, led tributes on Friday. “Mexico has lost an icon whose work has transcended generations and borders,” he said.

Proof of the comedian’s wide popularity came when he opened a Twitter account in 2011 with a simple message: “Hello. I’m Chespirito. I’m 82 years old and this is my first tweet. This is my debut. All the good people, follow me!”

In less than two months, he had a million followers. By the time of his death, there were 6.6 million.

Chespirito came from the Spanish phonetic pronunciation of Shakespeare “Chespir” combined with “ito,” a diminutive commonly used in Mexico that seemed natural for Gómez Bolaños because of his short stature.

“Nicknames are the most essential in life, more valuable than names,” he said in 2011.