The band started in 1979, with
Marciano Cantero (bass, keyboards, vocals), Felipe Staiti (guitar) and Daniel Piccolo (drums). That same year, they performed throughout the
Cuyo region. Later they traveled to
Buenos Aires to record a demo, which was never released. In 1984, the band added two new members: Sergio Embrioni (guitar and vocals) and Tito Dávila (keyboard). As a quintet, they recorded their first album
Los Enanitos Verdes, with the hit "Aún sigo cantando" ("I'm still singing"). Embrioni left the band in 1985. In 1986, they released their second album, entitled
Contrarreloj (
Counterclockwise), with the production of
Andrés Calamaro. The album included songs such as "Tus viejas cartas" ("Your old letters"), "Cada vez que digo adiós" ("Every time I say goodbye"), and "La muralla verde" ("The green wall"). Their third album
Habitaciones extrañas (
Strange Rooms) would arrive the following year. Produced again by Calamaro, it included "Te vi en un tren" ("I saw you in a train"), "Por el resto" ("For the Rest") and "El extraño de pelo largo" ("The stranger with the long hair"). In 1988, they did an extensive tour, alongside
Miguel Mateos/Zas and
Soda Stereo. Over six months, three of their concerts:
Viña del Mar (50,000 spectators),
Mendoza, Argentina (35,000) and
Santiago, Chile (32,000), were attended by more than 30,000 spectators. In that same year, they released their LP,
Carrousel. The song "Guitarras blancas" (White guitars) became one of their biggest hits off the LP. A year later, the group broke up, with
Marciano Cantero starting his solo career. In 1992, the group got back together, without Dávila, recording the album
Igual que ayer (
Same as Yesterday). In 1994, they released the album "Big Bang" on the record label EMI Latin. The album became a huge international success and includes their biggest hit, "Lamento Boliviano". The album also contains the song "Mejor No Hablemos de Amor" (Better Not Talk About Love) and the power ballad "Mi Primer Día Sin Ti" ("My First Day Without You"). In 1998, they released their album
Tracción acústica, with the US record company
Polygram. This album made them the first Argentine group and third Argentine artist to sign with a US company. This album was nominated for the
Grammies in the category "Best Latin Rock Album". They were part of the Watcha Tour 2000, which included seventeen shows along with
Molotov,
Aterciopelados,
Café Tacuba and
A.N.I.M.A.L. In 2003, they went on tour with
Alejandra Guzmán. They have, among other awards, earned a
Gaviota de Plata (
Silver Gull) at the
Festival de Viña del Mar in
Chile. That same year, they recorded their album
Amores Lejanos with the hit single "Amores Lejanos". In 2009, drummer Daniel Piccolo left the band. Jota Morelli from Fito Paez's band replaced him. Former guitarist Sergio Embrioni committed suicide on 17 February 2011. The band went on tour in 2018 with Spanish group
Hombres G across the United States. On 8 September 2022,
Marciano Cantero, the cofounder, songwriter and frontman of Enanitos Verdes, died in the afternoon following a renal surgical procedure in a private hospital in his hometown of Mendoza. He was 62. The band briefly suspended activities before resuming touring in December. In 2023, the band announced a series of tour dates and added bassist Guillermo Vadalá, keyboardist Bosco Aguilar, and backing vocalists Arita Rodriguez and Damian Castroviejo in place of Cantero. On 13 April 2026, Felipe Staiti who was co-founder, lead guitarist, as well as frontman since 2022, died in Mendoza, Argentina. He was 64 and had been hospitalized following health complications believed to stem from a bacterial infection contracted while in Mexico, and which worsened due to pre-existing conditions. He was last of the three founding members of Enanitos Verdes who still played with the band. == Band members ==