The Queen of the Little People turns 60 on March 27; discover the main moments of the artist’s career in television
One of the most famous Brazilian TV presenters is about to turn 60 on March 27th. Maria das Graças Xuxa Meneghelor simply Xuxa, she enchanted a generation of children and became the queen of Baixinhos.
The girl who was born in the city of Santa Rosa, in Rio Grande do Sul, grew up and became not only a TV presenter, but also a model, actress, entrepreneur and even broke the record for the artist with the most albums sold in the world. She is the mother of Sasha Meneghel, the blonde also changed her niche on TV when, in 2014, she broke up with Globo to take care of a talk show on Record.
Remember the blonde’s successful trajectory on television.
Career start
Faced with the risk of death surrounding the daughter of Luis Floriano and Aida Meneghel during childbirth, the father made a promise to Nossa Senhora das Graças and named the baby after her. Born Maria das Graças, Xuxa was nicknamed by her brother, Bladimir.
The blonde began her modeling career in 1979, at the age of sixteen. Already in April 1980 she was on the cover of one of the leading magazines of the country at the time, the Kindness. Xuxa was featured on the cover of more than 80 magazines that year.
Her modeling career took her to the main catwalks of Brazil and the world, until, in the early 80s, she was invited by the director Maurício Sherman to present the Children’s club, on the defunct Rede Manchete. Xuxa then began to divide himself between parades and TV.
During the week, she lived in New York and worked as a model. On the weekends she recorded the programs that would be broadcast. The intense routine worked until the agency issued an ultimatum and she chose a career as a children’s presenter.
Programs on TV Manchete and Globo
Between 1986 and 2014, Xuxa directed several programs simultaneously, mostly aimed at children. It was during this period that he became one of the biggest names in national television.
Kids Club – TV Manchete (1983)
The program debuted on June 14, 1983 and aired from 5-7pm, under the command of then model Xuxa Meneghel, in the extinct Title. He conducted games such as: popping balls, tug of war, plates, skipping rope and trick, among others. Xuxa has also received musical attractions. She remained in the program until 1986 when he went to Globe.
Xou da Xuxa (1986)
The program ran from June 30, 1986 to December 31, 1992, with 2,000 editions completed, Monday through Friday. The program mixed games, musical attractions, circus acts, cartoons and special pictures. On average, 200 children participated in each recording.
Soon the Xou da Xuxa became the most successful children’s program on Brazilian television. So much so that the standard of the attraction (scenography, characters and music) has been transformed into a franchise and exported to countries such as Argentina, Colombia and Peru.
Planet Xuxa (1997 – 2002)
A more family-oriented programme, especially for teenagers, was the proposal of the Planet Xuxa. Originally airing Saturday afternoons from April 5, 1997 to July 28, 2002, it ran for 267 episodes.
The format of the program was based on a disco and invited artists who had been on the presenter’s previous programs as guests. In addition to the musical attractions, the program had several frames, such as “Intimacy”, in which Xuxa interviewed personalities, and “Transformation”, in which someone from the audience, chosen by the presenter, underwent a change of look.
The end of the project also marked the end of Xuxa’s collaboration with director Marlene Mattos, which began in Manchete.
Television Xuxa (2005 – 2014)
OR Xuxa TV premiered on April 4, 2005 as a children’s show presented by Xuxa on Monday to Friday mornings. The Queen of the Baixinhos has returned to command an attraction entirely dedicated to children, in a program that has mixed games, dramaturgy, contests, cartoons and the presentation of musical numbers, hallmarks of the presenter’s programmes.
In December 2007 the program stopped showing Mondays to Fridays, switching to Saturday mornings. Completely renovated, the attraction stopped showing cartoons and invested in games.
Xuxa received guests on a stage designed for interviews and musical numbers. Several celebrities were interviewed by the presenter, including Brazilian and international guests.
The program was scheduled to finish on 25 January 2014. On that day, Xuxa said goodbye to her audience due to health issues and to take care of her mother.
international career
In the 1990s, Xuxa also emerged internationally in television and music was one of the avenues. She has recorded albums in Spanish and, in 1991, made her debut on TV Argentina with the El Show de Xuxa, broadcast by Telefé, the largest broadcaster in the country. The program has captured the grid of 17 Latino countries and also the Hispanic market in the United States.
In 1992, Xuxa launched the program Xuxa Park in Spain, on Telecinco. During this period, she spent 15 days in Brazil and 15 days in Argentina, also recording once a month in Spain. It was split to handle five simultaneous programs.
Records (2015 -2020)
In 2014, Xuxa and TV Globo broke the contract amicably, and the following year, the presenter signed with Record. His arrival at the new station was met with fanfare and is considered one of the biggest signings in Record history.
Much speculation was made to try and find out what program format the blonde would present, until an attraction of the same name was born.
Xuxa Meneghel (2015 – 2016)
His new show aired on August 17, 2015, in prime time, live, right after the Newspaper from Record, under the direction of Mariozinho Vaz. Inspired by The Ellen DeGeneres Showtalk show broadcast in the United States by CBS, the attraction mixed entertainment, fun, emotion, humor, musical attractions, interviews, games and reports.
The show concluded on December 19, 2016 after airing 67 episodes.
Dancing Brazil (2017)
Xuxa led a dance competition inspired by success dancing with the Stars. The dispute won on Monday evening, when 14 celebrities, accompanied by their teachers, danced for a specialized jury.
The setting of the program was built in an area of one thousand square meters, with three floors, including the main stage, a sloping stalls and a mezzanine, where the participants watched each other’s presentations and waited for the notes. The studio had a capacity of 400 spectators. The program concluded on September 11, 2019.
The Four Brazilians (2019)
Another reality show commanded by Xuxa on Record focused on music. The freshmen competed for the approval of the judges and faced each other in music battles. The show aired on Wednesday nights.
The program lasted two seasons, and was broadcast until April 2020. In the same year, the blonde’s contract with the broadcaster expired and Xuxa chose not to renew it.
Globoplay Documentary (2021)
In 2021, Xuxa returned to Globo, through a contract with the broadcaster’s streaming platform, Globoplay. The platform has produced a documentary that intends to show the intimacy and backstage of the presenter’s career. With eight episodes, the product is expected to debut in 2024.
Source: Terra
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