A request for help

April 23, 2008 5:42 AM

About 16 years ago there was a children's program on TV in which a woman named Xuxia(spelling?) from maybe Central or South America led children through games and contests. She had teen girl helpers who wore outfits similar to something a drum major would wear. This program aired in the US, and Xuxia spoke English as a second language. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
posted by rockhopper to media & arts (12 comments total)

You mean Xuxa?
posted by Lazlo Hollyfeld at 5:45 AM on April 23

Thanks for the help!
posted by rockhopper at 6:01 AM on April 23

I enjoyed reading this book (Xuxa: The Mega-Marketing of Gender, Race, and Modernity) a few years back, when Xuxa piqued my curiosity.
posted by chr1sb0y at 7:16 AM on April 23

My wife grew up in Brazil watching Xuxa.
There was apparently a legend in Brazil, going around enough to get on the news, that Xuxa had made a deal with the devil to get her fame.
There were also some 2-foot-tall Xuxa dolls that were very popular with Brazilian children in the 80s...
Then, some serial murders started to happen. Children were found dead, and their Xuxa dolls were on the scene with their arms around the child's neck or somesuch.
This was enough to lead people to believe that it was the dolls themselves commiting the murders.. enough to get onto the news and for the news programs to encourage people to dispose of their dolls as soon as possible.
Apparently the real sicko committing these murders was never caught, because my wife swears that the Xuxa dolls went on a killing spree.
This legend could have been the direct inspiration for Child's Play, but I have no proof on that.

And that's my Xuxa story.
posted by jozxyqk at 7:40 AM on April 23

I remember being fascinated by Xuxa during the US TV show run. From my fractured recollections, she didn't seem to like kids all that much. (A kiddie-host that hates children is a perfect recipe in my book.)

In my head, the 'teen helpers' acted as a human shield, keeping the kids away from Xuxa. I also remember people in animal costumes (panda maybe?) that also took care of any necessary preteen communication/translation issues.

FWIW, I had a Xuxa doll and it never attempted to kill me. Mine was only the size of a Barbie doll, so maybe that's how I escaped certain death.

A quick trip to youtube (search for 'Xuxa USA') will net you some fantastic clips.

Thanks for bringing up a repressed memory. I'm off to watch Xuxa!
posted by mattybonez at 8:05 AM on April 23

Pronounced 'SHOO-shah', by the way.
posted by DandyRandy at 9:59 AM on April 23

There were a few Xuxa copycat acts on Mexican television, too, and the gameshow Llevatelo had a similar vibe.

Wow, I should be shot for knowing that.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 10:43 AM on April 23

Heck, I remember watching her in the US. I didn't realize till years later that she was Brazilian.
posted by waylaid at 11:10 AM on April 23

I remember hearing that she had been a major porn star in Brazil... can anyone verify that? Also, wasn't there a spoof of her show on the Simpsons, the episode where they go to Brazil? I remember Bart being enthralled by a kid's show with a very busty host.
posted by mahamandarava at 11:42 AM on April 23

I have nothing to add except that NO ONE that I've asked can remember this show.

*my kees goes to......... my kees goes to JOO!*
posted by damnjezebel at 5:27 PM on April 23

mahamandarava: yes, she was a porn star. One day a guy at the grocery store told me I had "eyes like Xuxa." Having never looked closely at her eyes, I did a Google image search and got quite an eyeful!
posted by wallaby at 6:25 PM on April 23

NO! She's not a porn star. She had one soft-porn, mildly pedophelic (sp?) movie in the early '80s. I have seen the porny parts, and it isn't all that. She has gone to great lengths to make this movie disappear.
posted by msali at 2:20 PM on April 24