The episode where El Chavo is Mis-blamed for theft, ostracized by everyone and leaves temporarily. It traumatized several generations: seeing everyone calling him a thief at his face is pretty hard to watch, and the scene that follows with El Chavo leaving the vecindad is even more heartbreaking, specially the part where he looks at his iconic barrel and touches it one last time before leaving. Then we have a scene of him walking the streets at night, with the camera zooming out. For the fans, it is easily the most heartbreaking episode. Made even better or worse by the ending: when El Chavo is cleared, he is talking to his friends about the time he spent away from the vecindad: he had gone to a church and, after being counseled by a priest, he decided to pray to God. Chilindrina and Quico assume he was praying for the thief to be caught, but Chavo instantly corrects them, saying he prayed for the culprit's reformation. The thief, Sr. Hurtado, overhears this and is so touched that he has a Heel–Face Turn and not only returns everything he stole, but he also gets El Chavo a ham sandwich.
Another one is when Profesor Jirafales tells Don Ramón that he (Profesor Jirafales) truly loves teaching and genuinely wants the best for his obtuse pupils. The kids overhear this and they write on the blackboard: "We all love you sir!"
A double episode begins with El Chavo sleeping against Don Ramon's door because he had been promised to have breakfast and the kid didn't want to "let him run away with it" (it works, believe it). The two parts that compose this episode, despite hilarious, are filled with small moments of pure Tear Jerker.
El Chavo:(Waiting for Chilindrina to bring the eggs for breakfast.) Why is she taking so long...?
Don Ramón: Calm down. Can't you hold back hunger for five minutes?
El Chavo:(Soul-crushingly slow.) I've been holding it back for eight years...
Alternately:
Sr. Barriga:(After the breakfast eggs got ruined.) You mean that those eggs were for Chavo's breakfast?
Don Ramón: And mine too. For the whole week.
To make things even worse, the two-part episode ends up with El Chavo never getting his breakfast, and sleeping again against Don Ramón's door, hoping that, next morning, he may have a new chance. Cue sad Background Music, credits roll, and a box of napkins...
In the Animated Adaptation of the same episode, they added a last extra scene to give it a heartwarming ending: Quico leaves for a moment and then returns with a ham sandwich for El Chavo.
A great example comes from the episode right before the Beach Episode. By a series of events, every inhabitant of the vecindad leaves to Acapulco. By the end of the episode, El Chavo is the only one around and we are greeted by some sad Background Music. Cue Sr. Barriga's arrival and, when he's told everyone is gone to Acapulco, he decides to go as well. He leaves, and when he's nearly gone, he stops, turns, and looks at El Chavo, alone in an empty vecindad:
Sr. Barriga: Hey, Chavo... Want to go to Acapulco with me?
El Chavo:(Soul-crushingly hesitant.) M...Me...?
The ending of the Beach Episode special doubles as Heartwarming. We get a beautiful good-bye song sung by El Chavo himself, "Buenas Noches, Vencidad"note (Good Night, Neighborhood) with all the cast reunited around a bonfire as the sun sets down. As it plays, everyone is seen leaving, and when it ends, we get to hear everyone wishing good night to each other. It gets even sadder with most of the cast members' deaths.
Another one comes from a Christmas Episode. Señor Barriga gave all the boys a little toy truck as a present. Later, near the end of the episode, El Chavo tells Quico about the vecindad's doorkeeper's child, who has no toys, and then leaves with the truck, without warning. He then returns shortly afterwards while Don Ramón and Quico were looking for him, and wondering what he was doing:
El Chavo: (Without the truck.) They are going to think Santa Claus gave it to him.
El Chavo: Why, the truck! Didn't you see that I threw it through the slit of an open window?
Quico: (Surprised.) You gave your toy truck to the doorkeeper's kid?
El Chavo: Well, of course! Didn't you see he's a poor child? (Cue Don Ramón and Quico looking at the camera, speechless...)
Earlier on in the same episode, El Chavo was writing a letter to Santa Claus, asking him for a ham sandwich. Touched, Doña Florinda tells him he's invited to the Christmas Eve dinner they'd be having that evening. Thankful, El Chavo rewrites his letter... this time asking for every day to be Christmas Eve.
The Valentine's Episode is heartbreaking, mainly towards the revelation scene: La Chilidrina goes to ask Chavo about her card to him confessing her feelings. Chavo however, due to the insanely semi-A Midsummer Night's Dream plot, has thought the card was from Paty, who he gave it to. Chilidrina is obviously pissed and blames Paty until she confesses Chavo gave her the card. After figuring out how the debacle started (with Chavo giving it to Paty who gave it to Godínez who then gave it to La Popis who then gave it to Ñoño, and they somehow ended up dating), Chilidrina simply walks off devastated that Chavo confused her feelings to him for Paty confessing it to him. What tops it off is that Chilindrina doesn't use her iconic Played for Laughs crying style, she genuinely walks off crying.
It does become a Heartwarming Moment when Chavo and Chilidrina end up seeing each other again after everyone one leaves and chuckle at the insanity of the situation before running into each other's arms, with Chilidrina in tears of happiness.
One can get a bit teary-eyed when learning how the relationships between Chespirito and Carlos Villagrán and María Antonieta de las Nieves became, due to rights over the characters. It does become less tear-jerking after reading up that the other cast members were all on good terms with Chespirito, and Villagrán himself eventually reconcilied with Chespirito's widow and fellow cast member Florinda Meza after Chespirito's death.
The Real Life death of Ramon Valdés in 1988, who played Don Ramón (who was arguably the most popular character in the show, although he had left in 1981). Most fans agree that the show was never the same without him.
The same could be said for the passings of Angelines Fernández (Doña Clotilde "La Bruja del 71"), and Raúl 'Chato' Padilla (Jaimito el Cartero), both in 1994, Horacio Gómez Bolaños (Chespirito's younger brother, who played Godínez), in 1999, and Rubén Aguirre (who played Profesor Jirafales), in 2016.
Of course, the death of Chespirito himself in 2014 may be the ultimate tearjerker, and probably makes all of the series' sad moments worse.
Regarding Nieves, she did manage to obtain the rights to the character, but she ultimately decided to retire La Chilindrina because she felt the long legal battle against Chespirito had destroyed her reputation, meaning that it ended up being All for Nothing.
At Quico's birthday, El Chavo steals some sandwiches and puts them into a bag. Later, Quico wishes for no one to come to his next birthday to have all the cake for himself; Doña Florinda (who, it should be noted, usually goes along with his son's Upper-Class Twit moments) is hurt by this, and tells him he should wish for the opposite, for them to learn how to share. When Quico wonders whether learning to share is difficult, the following scene shows El Chavo giving half the sandwiches to Don Ramón, who in return gives El Chavo a drink. Despite his poverty, El Chavo was perfectly capable of sharing whatever he had with those in need.
Also qualifying In-Universe, every time El Chavo reminds people of his poverty or that he hardly ever eats.
In a episode from the last seasons, Doña Clotilde buys lollipops for the children, but Ñoño surprisingly comes to the vecindad, leaving El Chavo without one. He tries to hide, but he clearly wanted one. In the next scene, Doña Clotilde arrives in the vecindad and quickly gives two lollipops to El Chavo, compensating for what happened early. Then Ñoño arrives again in the vencidad with a guilty face. El Chavo takes a look at him and asks if he wants a lollipop, then Ñoño, revealing a lollipop he was keeping in his clothes, says the same, offering his lollipop too. Both start to smile and they give a big and long hug. This becomes a huge tear-jerking moment when starts to play a heartwarming soundtrack and Ñoño starts to cry for real.
It was said that Édgar Vivar (the actor who plays as both Sr. Barriga and Ñoño) was the last member of the cast who found out about the recent (by then) death of Ramón Valdés, and clearly took his friend's departure the hardest.
An episode features a Flashback of the first day El Chavo came to the vecindad. In this flashback, El Chavo arrives and stands in front of Chilindrina while Don Ramón was ready to take a picture of her. Impatiently, Don Ramón orders him to get out of the way (which he doesn't seem to understand), and finally asks:
Don Ramón: Boy, what's your problem?!
El Chavo: ...It's hunger.
In the episode of the first day of school, El Chavo watched as Doña Florinda told her son to wait for her, explaining that in the first day the children should walk to the school along with their parents. They leave and El Chavo, now all alone, looks around for some moments in sadness before going to school by himself.
In the animated series episode Se Busca (Known as "Wanted" in the English dub), Chavo is forced to leave his home as a fugitive in order to protect a dog named Willis, whom had previously been lost by a richer child than Chavo, from crimes the dog committed because Quico threatened to rat Chavo and the dog out. Later on, a limo with a sad rich boy, of whom is Willis' owner, notices Chavo with his dog. Chavo had bonded with Willis during his very brief time as a fugitive, so naturally, Chavo initially looked distraught when Willis decides to part ways with Chavo and go back to his owner. Anyone who's cared for another's pet or injured wild animal would know how Chavo felt.
However, it's not all sad; the reward for Willis' safe return is more than good enough for Chavo; as instead of money, Chavo requests dozens of ham sandwiches. Even better, Quico, whom had later felt horrible about nearly ratting out Chavo and the dog to the police as the episode went on, got Chavo's forgiveness and together, Chavo, Quico, and the rest of the kids eat the sandwiches.
In 1981, an entire episode was spent on the return of Don Ramón. When he comes across La Chilindrina, they tearfully hug each other, with La Chilindrina even having to take her glasses off. María Antonieta de las Nieves's acting during this scene looks practically like she was breaking character and reacted unpon Ramón Valdéz's return to the show, rather than the character he was playing.
The fact that, due to a rights dispute between Televisa and Chespirito's family, the series stopped being broadcasted worldwide since July 31, 2020. Naturally many fans all over the world are outraged and saddened by this. Only time will tell if this decision will be revoked in the future...
The tie-in book, El Diario del Chavo del Ocho, expands on some events in the series, some of them taking on a darker tone:
El Chavo's backstory. He was the child of a single mother that didn't take care of him and eventually left him behind in an Orphanage of Fear, until he escaped, living on the streets while trying to find honest ways to get food. Things get a lot Lighter and Softer after he ends up in the vecindad, but it's quite the Downer Beginning.
In general, the fact that almost everyone who was nice towards El Chavo either died or left to never return. Chente, the old woman from Apartment 8, Jaimito the mailman, Don Ramón... it almost feels like El Chavo is a Cosmic Plaything.
In regards to Jaimito, there's the buildup on the situation about his passing. First, El Chavo mentions how he often has to spend a lot of money in medicines, and even sold his bicycle and resigned from his mailman position to be able to afford them - he had got so weak he'd not leave his home for entire days, and even removed the lock of his apartment's door because it had become too difficult for him to open it. Then, one of the comical episodes of the series, the one that starts with El Chavo burying a coin in a flowerpot so a tree of money would grow out of it, with his reasoning behind his plan never being explained, becomes Harsher in Hindsight in the book because El Chavo does it with the intention to give Jaimito the money to buy his medicines. Near the end of the book, El Chavo opens the door of Jaimito's apartment only to find him dead in his sleep, with a happy expression in his face. It does not take long for El Chavo to realize what happened.
El Chavo: His little eyes were closed, as if he were just asleep. And it even seemed as if he was dreaming something nice, because he had a happy face. But it can't be, because there's no way he'd like to die. Or who knows, because Jaimito the mailman always said that he preferred to avoid fatigue. In other words, he has already avoided fatigue forever.
Pati, El Chavo's Love Interest, is mentioned at one point, and, apart from revealing that her full name is Patricia Jiménez, it's described how she no longer attended school, with El Chavo assuming her family left to another city. Then there's a whole page where the only text in it is "What is Pati doing?". At that point one assumes El Chavo really missed her, but later on, Ñoño tells him that he met a girl called Patricia Jiménez on a vacation and that she sent El Chavo her regards... and El Chavo does not even recall her.
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