The storyline about Kulafu was influenced by
Tarzan, a character created by
Edgar Rice Burroughs. The story of Kulafu started when a toddler named "Pido" was snatched by a gigantic bird called "Ibong Malta" from his human mother while she was doing the laundry at a nearby river. Pido was brought to the Ibong Malta's nest to become the meal of the bird and her mate. The male Ibong Malta became impatient and tried to devour Pido right away which resulted in a fight between the two birds. Pido was accidentally hit by the wing of one of the birds and fell from the nest. As he fell, the child grabbed hold of one of the eggs of the Ibong Malta. Pido luckily fell on the branches of a big tree which cushioned his fall. Pido was retrieved by a band of white apes who planned to have him as their meal. However, a female ape intervened and saved Pido. Eventually, the egg of the Ibong Malta that Pido had grabbed hatched. Pido considered the bird his brother and it became his constant companion ever since. When the bird grew to adulthood, it provided Pido with air transportation. Kulafu's name was given by a civilized man named Magat, whom Pido saved from being devoured by a shark. Magat had witnessed a conversation between Guna (Pido's pet monkey) and Pido's Ibong Malta. Guna uttered the sound "kula" repeatedly, while the Ibong Malta repeatedly answered with the sound "fu". Because of the combined sounds, Magat came to the conclusion that Pido's name was "Kulafu". Kulafu was raised by the ape who saved him. He grew up to in the jungles of Southern Philippines during the pre-Spanish era. Kulafu’s adventures included battling mythical creatures such as dragons and
mermen (known as
siyokoy in Tagalog), among others. Kulafu's garment was made from the skin of a tiger. Though the tiger is not indigenous to the Philippines, the story accounted for this by explaining that the sultan of Borneo had given a tiger as a gift to the sultan of the island where Kulafu dwells. The tiger escaped and was killed by Kulafu in an encounter. Kulafu's friend Magat then helped him create a garment from the tiger's pelt. ==Sequel==