¡te queremos, Maria!
July 2, 2015 8:54 AM Subscribe
On Monday, at the 2015 American Library Association Annual Conference, actress and author Sonia Manzano announced her retirement from the cast of Sesame Street, where she has played the role of Maria for more than 40 years.
Manzano's upcoming memoir, Becoming Maria, explores her transformation from the daughter of an impoverished, chaotic Nuyorican family in the South Bronx to one of the most influential Latinas on television. In addition to her work as a widely-loved series regular, Manzano won 15 Daytime Emmy Awards for her writing contributions to the show, and was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame in 2005.
Folks on Twitter are tagging memories and expressions of gratitude with #ThankYouMaria.
Some of my favorite Maria clips:
Maria buys shoes
Maria and Luis get married
Maria and Luis say hola
cerrado y abierto
the word is NO
Maria has lunch with Oscar and healthy snacks with Cookie Monster
Maria goes to the hospital
Maria daydreams
Maria has a baby (full episode)
love in the Fix-It Shop (street scenes)
As Charlie Chaplin: in the mirror, in the rain, at the art museum, trying to find the exit.
Sesame Street previously.
Manzano's upcoming memoir, Becoming Maria, explores her transformation from the daughter of an impoverished, chaotic Nuyorican family in the South Bronx to one of the most influential Latinas on television. In addition to her work as a widely-loved series regular, Manzano won 15 Daytime Emmy Awards for her writing contributions to the show, and was inducted into the Bronx Hall of Fame in 2005.
Folks on Twitter are tagging memories and expressions of gratitude with #ThankYouMaria.
Some of my favorite Maria clips:
Sesame Street previously.
Maria, Gordon, Olivia, Bob, Mr. Hooper and Luis were the kindest, most responsible adults I knew as a kid. Gracias Maria!!!
posted by Sophie1 at 9:10 AM on July 2, 2015 [21 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 9:10 AM on July 2, 2015 [21 favorites]
Wow, we were just talking last night about how several of the humans on Sesame Street from when I was a kid are still around. Maria was just on a fairly recent episode about the number 15's quinceañera, in fact.
In my dream Sesame Street world, they will marry off Chris and Leela soon, and they can be on the show for another 40 years
I will never tire of the way Chris dances.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:14 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
In my dream Sesame Street world, they will marry off Chris and Leela soon, and they can be on the show for another 40 years
I will never tire of the way Chris dances.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:14 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
I will never tire of Chris, period.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:16 AM on July 2, 2015
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:16 AM on July 2, 2015
Maria was the first person I ever saw on TV who looked like my dad and all his friends. It still blows my mind. She was also the first person in the world who showed me what it was like when a grown-up expressed real love and tenderness toward a child (or a puppet, for that matter, or anyone else that was smaller or weaker than her). I'm gonna get even more weepy if I keep typing, but suffice it to say that she's a straight-up legend and I'm overwhelmingly grateful for her and her work.
♥
posted by divined by radio at 9:22 AM on July 2, 2015 [19 favorites]
♥
posted by divined by radio at 9:22 AM on July 2, 2015 [19 favorites]
I am pre-ordering her book - I never pre-order things. But she helped raise me! All Sesame Street did, but she was brown, like me, even though I am Hawaiian and not Latina, and she was so kind and funny. Okay, going to go watch some clips now and probably cry a little.
posted by rtha at 9:28 AM on July 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by rtha at 9:28 AM on July 2, 2015 [4 favorites]
I just now learned that this woman's name isn't really Maria. That's more surprising to me than the fact that she was still on the show.
posted by dortmunder at 9:39 AM on July 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
posted by dortmunder at 9:39 AM on July 2, 2015 [7 favorites]
Maria was my favorite - followed closely by Olivia (with the beautiful voice) and Linda (the librarian, who was the owner of the awesome dog Barkley).
Sesame Street was/is so awesome. Talk about TV being used for good. Gracias, Sonia!
posted by Elly Vortex at 10:16 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Sesame Street was/is so awesome. Talk about TV being used for good. Gracias, Sonia!
posted by Elly Vortex at 10:16 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
From the "Dang, I'm old" department -- I am old enough to remember when Maria was the NEW character on Sesame Street and when her boyfriend was David (the late, tragic Northern Calloway)
posted by briank at 10:16 AM on July 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
posted by briank at 10:16 AM on July 2, 2015 [9 favorites]
What an apt place to make the announcement!
posted by harrietthespy at 10:32 AM on July 2, 2015
posted by harrietthespy at 10:32 AM on July 2, 2015
One of my most treasured childhood possessions was an 8 x 12 head shot of Sonia, autographed to me from "Maria." I have no idea what happened to it but every few months I'll think about it and wonder where it went. I absolutely adored her and thought she was the most beautiful woman ever. But literally until this thread I had absolutely no idea that the actress's name was not Maria.
posted by Missense Mutation at 10:35 AM on July 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by Missense Mutation at 10:35 AM on July 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Oops - memory fail - I'm not sure how I misremembered Susan as Olivia - but that's who I meant.
posted by Sophie1 at 11:18 AM on July 2, 2015
posted by Sophie1 at 11:18 AM on July 2, 2015
I'm not sure how I misremembered Susan as Olivia - but that's who I meant.
Olivia was Gordon's sister, and was on Sesame Street for quite a while too.
posted by Fleebnork at 11:27 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
Olivia was Gordon's sister, and was on Sesame Street for quite a while too.
posted by Fleebnork at 11:27 AM on July 2, 2015 [1 favorite]
¡Gracias, Sonia!
posted by Chrysostom at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2015
posted by Chrysostom at 11:46 AM on July 2, 2015
I still, even as a 47 year old adult (yes, I was raised on Sesame Street and all the other PBS shows that debuted right along my development path), I still find it a bit puzzling that the humans that populated Sesame Street aren't actually named what they were named on the show.
Thanks, Sonia. You helped raise what I hope is a kind, gentle, sharing, friendly person. My entire generation and those younger than me owe you a gigantic debt that can never be repaid. I'd love to buy you a beer or a coffee sometime and give you a hug.
posted by hippybear at 12:08 PM on July 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Thanks, Sonia. You helped raise what I hope is a kind, gentle, sharing, friendly person. My entire generation and those younger than me owe you a gigantic debt that can never be repaid. I'd love to buy you a beer or a coffee sometime and give you a hug.
posted by hippybear at 12:08 PM on July 2, 2015 [2 favorites]
Pretty sure "Maria" (it feels weird to know that's not really her name) was around for more of my childhood than my actual mom. I was so thrilled to see she was still on the show when I started watching the occasional episode with my now five year old niece. Kinda feeling weepy now.
posted by palomar at 12:49 PM on July 2, 2015
posted by palomar at 12:49 PM on July 2, 2015
Maria taught me how to count to 10 in Spanish. I still distinctly remember when she and Luis got married -- and being really confused because I thought she was also named Maria in real life!
posted by zooropa at 1:18 PM on July 2, 2015
posted by zooropa at 1:18 PM on July 2, 2015
In the interview clip, she mentions that Maria's feelings toward Luis changed when he took care of a sick kitten. Does anyone remember that episode, or have a video link?
posted by amtho at 4:29 PM on July 2, 2015
posted by amtho at 4:29 PM on July 2, 2015
Apparently that would be Episode 2385. (Link is to Muppet Wiki description, not a video or anything.)
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:47 PM on July 2, 2015
posted by Shmuel510 at 8:47 PM on July 2, 2015
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In my dream Sesame Street world, they will marry off Chris and Leela soon, and they can be on the show for another 40 years.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 9:07 AM on July 2, 2015 [2 favorites]