A street vendor in São Paulo has turned a political and commercial question into a running public tally: who sells more, Lula or Bolsonaro? Osvaldo Pires Valentim, known as “Osvaldo das Toalhas,” created a scoreboard called “Data-Toalha” and placed it beside the rack where he displays towels at the corner of Alameda Lorena and Avenida Nove de Julho, in the Jardins neighborhood. The board is updated every time a customer buys one of the towels, which feature the faces of political figures and other public personalities.
The nickname is a playful reference to Datafolha, one of Brazil’s best-known polling institutes. But unlike an election survey, the towel count reflects only what sells at his street stand. On Thursday, June 4, Flávio Bolsonaro, the Liberal Party’s pre-candidate for president, led the tally with six towels sold. Lula, the current president and member of the Workers’ Party, was tied for second place with four towels, along with Renan Santos, the pre-candidate from the Missão movement.
The towel scoreboard does not match official polling. In the latest Datafolha survey conducted in May, Lula led the first-round presidential race with 40% of voting intentions, followed by Flávio Bolsonaro with 31%. Renan Santos registered just 3%, far behind the leading names. The difference highlights the contrast between electoral preference and novelty or curiosity-driven purchases at a street stall.
Renan Santos’ towel sales may have received a boost on Thursday because the candidate himself visited the vendor’s stand. The visit was recorded in a video posted on Osvaldo das Toalhas’ Instagram account. In the clip, Santos signed a towel bearing his image and joked, “Not to brag, but my towel is cooler.” The appearance likely helped generate attention and some extra sales.
The stand’s fourth best-selling item is not political at all. In a World Cup-like atmosphere, Neymar Jr. took the fourth spot with three towels sold after being chosen by Osvaldo and his social media followers as “the best player in football history.” His presence on the line shows that the display is not limited to politicians, but also includes cultural and sports figures who resonate with customers.
Osvaldo describes himself as a democratic entrepreneur. He says the idea to sell towels with rival political figures dates back to Brazil’s 2022 presidential campaign, when he noticed online sellers promoting towels with either Bolsonaro or Lula, but rarely both. Seeing an opportunity, he decided to offer both sides. Then the recurring question from customers and passersby — who sells more? — inspired him to create the scoreboard that later became known as Data-Toalha.
What began as a small commercial idea has evolved into a mix of election commentary, street marketing and social media content. The towel stand in Jardins now serves as a lighthearted snapshot of Brazil’s polarized politics, where sales, jokes and public appearances are tracked with the same enthusiasm as a sports ranking.
