Xou da Xuxa

Xou da Xuxa
Genre	Children
Directed by	Marlene Mattos
Starring	Xuxa Ana Paula Almeida Juliana Baroni Roberta Cipriani Marcelo Faustini Flavia Fernandes Letícia Spiller Andréia Sorvetão Bianca Rinaldi Cátia Paganote Tatiana Maranhão Cláudio Heinrich Ana Paula Guimarães
Opening theme	"Doce Mel": Xuxa (1986–92)
Country of origin	Brazil
Original language(s)	Portuguese
No. of seasons	7
No. of episodes	2 000
Production
Producer(s)	Nilton Gouveia
Location(s)	Teatro Fênix, Rio de Janeiro
Running time	5h
Release
Original network	Rede Globo (1986–92)
Original release	30 June 1986 – 31 December 1992

Xou da Xuxa is a Brazilian children's television series directed by Marlene Mattos, and hosted by Xuxa Meneghel. The show was responsible for leveraging Xuxa's career in Brazil, throughout Latin America and to a lesser extent in the United States, and Spain.

In 1993, she debuted an English version of her children's show in the in the US, and that proved unpopular with American audiences and was cancelled after the first season.

Xou da Xuxa was a highly successful Brazilian children's television show, which turned its host into a celebrity during the 1980s and 1990s.

Xou da Xuxa was directed by Marlene Mattos, with Nilton Gouveia as the production coordinator. The program went off the air on 31 December 1992.

The program's name, in Portuguese, is a play on the Portuguese word "xou", meaning "I am" and a "Xuxaspelling" of the term "show". This gives the name a double meaning, which can be understood as either: "I belong to Xuxa" or "Xuxa's Show."

The program showcased plays, musical acts, circus acts, cartoons and special sets. More than two hundred children were cast for every recording. Through host Xuxa, the show delivered messages about self esteem, caring for the environment, and avoiding drug use.

Xuxa created characters who became show trademarks. Supporting cast members Andrea Veiga and Andrea Faria were two of the early "Paquitas", or stage assistants to Xuxa. The Paquitas were commonly dressed in clothes inspired by toy soldiers with white boots. Dengue (Roberto Bertin), who was portrayed as a huge mosquito with multiple limbs, and Praga (Armando Moraes), a turtle, contributed by livening the scene, helping the host and befriending the children.

The program quickly became popular. Xuxa referred to children as "baixinhos" (little ones), and came to be called "Rainha dos Baixinhos" ("Queen of the little people" or "Queen of Children".) Her phrase "beijinho, beijinho e tchau, tchau" ("little kiss, little kiss and bye, bye") also became popular. Many products were launched under the Xuxa brand, including dolls, accessories and clothing. The clothing range led to a fashion craze for wearing white leather boots, as "xuxinhas" became popular among children and adolescents.

The success of "Xou da Xuxa" led to an effort to conquer international markets, with mixed results. The Argentine version of the program,El Show de Xuxa, was considered a success, reaching an estimated viewership of 33 million.

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