Xuxa turns 60; check out the trajectory of the Queen of the Little People

1963 is an important year for world pop culture, with the introduction of the X-Men to the world through the team's first HQ. In Brazil, another cultural landmark with X, however, was born: Maria da Graça Meneghel, Xuxa, Queen of the Little People. 

Completing 60 years in 2023, the star has a career that spanned several fronts, from model to presenter, and is a Brazilian cultural landmark. To celebrate her birthday, Showmetech prepared this special detailing her professional trajectory. Check out:

Origins and modeling career

Of Italian descent, Maria da Graça Meneghel was born in Santa Rosa, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, on March 27, 1963. One of her four brothers started calling her Xuxa as soon as she arrived from the maternity ward, and everyone in the family adopted the nickname, with her never being introduced under her real name – in 1988, she incorporated the nickname into her general registration.

Xuxa, in 1970, moved with her family to Rio de Janeiro, the city where, 9 years later, she would begin her modeling career, which was successful and meant that, a year later, in 1980, she already appeared on the cover of one of the most important magazines in the field in the country: the Affection. Shortly afterwards, in 1982, she would be hired by ford models, the biggest model agency in Brazil, to show internationally.

Dating Pelé, controversial film and beginning of television life

It was in the 1980s that some of the most well-known parts of the biography of the Queen of the Little People took place. In 1980, the blonde started dating the King of Football, Pele – at the time aged 41 while she was seventeen. The courtship took over the media at the time, becoming one of the best-known relationships of the period, but it came to an end in 1986 with reports of the football player's betrayals as well as conflicts over the professional life of the future TV presenter.

Still in the 1980s, Xuxa would star in the film Love strange Love, along with big names like Tarcícisio Meira, Mauro Mendonça and Vera Fischer, which became a controversial work for the nude scenes of the blonde trying to seduce a 12-year-old child – as Xuxa would soon become known for her children's programs, the feature became something often cited by detractors as something that showed her bad intentions with the little ones, even spreading rumors of the presenter's involvement with pedophilia.

Xuxa would fight for years to get the film out of circulation; in 1991, he got a court decision that removed the film from commercialization in Home Videos, and the presenter entered into a legal agreement with the Cinearte Films in which, paying R$ 60 annually to the distributor, the work would not be distributed – although pirated versions of the film continued to be distributed.

The agreement expired in 2018 and was not renewed; in 2021 the film was shown for the first time on television, in Brazil channel.

In 2019, in an interview with presenter Eliana on her program on SBT, the presenter stated that she only participated in Amor Estranho Amor at the request of Pelé, who wanted to please a friend. In addition, the Queen of the Little People claims that she was deceived by the production of the film, which promised a completely different production than what the feature would actually be. 

TV Manchete and the beginning of the Rainha dos Baixinhos

In the midst of her modeling career and dating Pelé, the then model was invited by director Mauricio Sherman to present a program on Rede Manchete, the Children's Club. She was modeling mainly in New York at the time, which meant that she had to travel to Rio de Janeiro every weekend to record the auditorium show, which also featured the paquitas, child stars who danced and performed musical numbers with the Queen of the Baixinhos – and it was also on this program that the famous meme “Ahem, sit there, Claudia" it happened. 

Eventually, her agency told her to choose between a career as a model or a children's presenter, and she chose to go into the business of children's entertainment. The program became a great success, mainly due to its innovative structure at the time, which interspersed the auditorium segments with various cartoons, in addition to several musical attractions.

The influence of Marlene Mattos

As for that time, it is important to emphasize Xuxa's relationship with Marlene Mattos. Marlene, along with Sherman, was responsible for transforming the presenter's career, when she was hired to present Clube da Criança in 1983. Together, they created a unique style of children's program that became an absolute success, catapulting Xuxa's career to stardom.

Marlene was also Xuxa's manager for many years, managing her image, contracts and career. However, the relationship between the two became tense in the mid-2000s, when Xuxa decided to break up with Marlene and take more control over her career. From then on, they moved away and the coexistence became distant — with excerpts from the documentary of 60 years of the queen of the little ones released by the balloon play showing that a recent reunion was tense, even yielding comments and revelations from the Rainha dos Baixinhos about the treatment that Mattos gave her, forcing the star to remain thin, for example.

But even with this separation, Xuxa and Marlene continue to be mentioned together when talking about Xuxa's career. Their relationship was very important for the presenter's success and for the history of Brazilian television. Despite the disagreements and professional separation, both seem to have maintained mutual respect. Although the personal relationship has not been rescued, Marlene Matos' contribution to Xuxa's career is undeniable and will never be forgotten.

The move to Rede Globo 

Three years later, director Mario Lúcio Vaz, from Rede Globo, offered her a salary three times higher for Xuxa to present a children's program on the station. She accepted and, on June 30, 1986, arriving on a spaceship in the mornings of Globo, debuted the Xou da Xuxa, aired for six and a half years by the broadcaster, marking an entire eighties generation.

Filled with positive messages for the short ones, creating fashion such as hairpins called “xuquinhas” and practically establishing the entire format that is still found today in (rare) children’s auditorium programs, the program would become a milestone in children’s entertainment , and would consolidate Xuxa as the Queen of Baixinhos. 

Her musical career would also take off at that time, with the presenter launching the series of albums Xou da Xuxa, which would sell over 10 million copies combined. The success of both the program and the albums would lead a French newspaper, in 1987, to include Xuxa in the list of the 10 most prominent women on the planet, sharing the list with names like Margaret Thatcher. 

The film career would also start for good in this period, with the release of Super Xuxa against Baixo Astral, the third most watched film in Brazilian theaters in 1988. In 1990, his greatest success, crystal moon, hit theaters, appearing on the list of the most watched national films between 1970 and 2011 by Ancine.  

Still in 1990, the presenter would also start to achieve international success, invited by US International Academy of Television Arts and Sciences to deliver the Emmy for best children's program. At the time, in an article in the magazine New York Magazine, came to be called the “Latin American Madonna”, thanks to the success of the hit ilariê in Latin America, which opened the doors for their albums to gain versions in Spanish and begin to be released in countries other than Brazil.

During this period, she dated motorsport star Ayrton Senna, but the relationship would end in 1991 following incompatibility in the schedules of both celebrities.

Programs on Globo

In total, Xuxa presented six programs during her period on Globo, in addition to countless participations in other attractions on the station. We list them all below:

• Xou da Xuxa (1986-1993): Here the famous entry into the spacecraft came into being. The program was for children, and continued the format that the star had started on Manchete.
• Xuxa Park (1994-2001): Presented in a kind of theme park, Xuxa Park would be a great success, only being canceled in 2001 after traumatic events for the presenter involving a fire in the studio.
• Xuxa Hits (1995-1996): First of the programs more focused on musical attractions and an older audience, Xuxa Hits would be a success, until it was replaced by Planeta Xuxa.
• Planet Xuxa (1997-2002): Here Xuxa would start, in addition to showing musical attractions, to also work in an exciting way on her interview skills with celebrities.
• Xuxa in the World of Imagination (2002-2004): Xuxa's new children's approach, the program was full of attractions and didactic pictures, in addition to having characters like Tchutchucão, who would become symbols of childhood in the 2000s in Brazil
• TV Xuxa (2004-2014): Last Xuxa show on Globo, it would start with a format more aimed at children until in 2009 it would have changes and become something more aimed at young people and adults, just like Xuxa Hits e Planet Xuxa.

Films during the time at Globo

In addition to programs, Xuxa also starred in several films during her contract with Globo. We quote them all below, with brief synopses of the main successes:

• Super Xuxa Contra Bass Astral (1988): Xuxa faces Baixo Astral, a demonic creature that wants to make everything dull and sad.
• Crystal Moon (1990): Maria de Graça (Xuxa) moves to the big city with the aim of becoming a great singer, and needs to venture out to live a great passion with Bob (Sérgio Mallandro).
• Xuxa Requebra (1999)
• Xuxa Popstar (2000)
• Xuxa and the Duendes (2001): With appearances by Gugu, Luciano Huck, Ana Maria Braga and much more, this was one of Xuxa's greatest successes in cinema, telling a story full of adventures and fantasies about the fight between elves and trolls.
• Xuxa and the Duendes 2 – On the Path of the Fairies (2002)
• Xuxa Abracadabra (2003)
• Xuxa Gêmeas (2006)
• Xuxa in Sonho de Menina (2007)
• Xuxa in O Mistério de Feiurinha (2009)

The Paquitas

It was on Rede Globo that Paquitas da Xuxa were also born. The group of dancers that accompanied Xuxa on her television programs and shows throughout Brazil and around the world emerged in 1989, during the program “Xou da Xuxa”, and quickly became a success among children and adolescents.

The Paquitas were known for their colorful and extravagant clothes, as well as their synchronized and lively choreography. They also recorded several successful albums, including “Xou da Xuxa 3” and “Xou da Xuxa 4”, which sold millions of copies throughout Brazil. In addition, they participated in movies and TV shows, and became icons of Brazilian pop culture in the 90s.

Although the group disbanded at the end of the 90s, Paquitas are still fondly remembered by fans of Xuxa and Brazilian pop culture, marking a generation and helping to consolidate the presenter's image as a television and music phenomenon.

We list below all the members of Paquitas (and yes, many of them had and still have solo careers on television!):

• Andrea Veiga (Paquita Andie) – 1989 to 1995
• Ana Paula Guimarães (Paquita Ana) – 1990 to 1995
• Ana Paula Almeida (Paquita Pituxa) – 1989 to 1991
• Andréa Sorvetão (Paquita Sorvetão) – 1989 to 1992
• Bárbara Borges (Paquita Babalu) – 1995 to 1997
• Cátia Paganote (Paquita Cat) – 1989 to 1995
• Cintia Ferreira (Paquita Cintia) – 1995 to 1997
• Flávia Fernandes (Paquita Flávia) – 1995 to 1997
• Graziela Schmitt (Paquita Grazi) – 1997
• Juliana Baroni (Paquita Juliana) – 1993 to 1995
• Juliana Silveira (Paquita Jú) – 1995 to 1997
• Katia Moraes (Paquita Kátia) – 1989 to 1991
• Lana Rhodes (Paquita Lana) – 1991 to 1993
• Letícia Spiller (Paquita Leticia) – 1989 to 1991
• Louise Wischermann (Paquita Louise) – 1992 to 1995
• Marcela Leal (Paquita Marcela) – 1995 to 1997
• Mariana Richard (Paquita Mari) – 1995 to 1997
• Maytê Piragibe (Paquita Maytê) – 1995 to 1997
• Priscilla Couto (Paquita Pri) – 1990 to 1995
• Roberta Cipriani (Paquita Roberta) – 1989 to 1990
• Roberta Richard (Paquita Roberta) – 1990 to 1995
• Tatiana Maranhão (Paquita Tatiana) – 1993 to 1995
• Thalita Ribeiro (Paquita Thalita) – 1997

The grueling work pace of the 1990s

The queen's great international success would start to push her to the limit, even having programs in Brazil and the USA, causing her to divide her routine between periods in Brazil, Argentina and in the US territory, in which she presented the program Xuxa, entirely spoken in English, displayed for 85% of the US territory.

The intense routine caused the star to start having back pain and, during the backstage preparation of the program Good Morning America, in which Xuxa would give an interview, she ended up fainting, being rushed to medical attention.

The intense routine, her health problems, and the death of her ex-boyfriend Ayrton Senna in 1994 made the presenter rethink her priorities, thus reducing her work pace and returning to Brazil, where she began to present the Xuxa Park. In 1997 she began to have a double on Globo's Saturdays, also presenting the Planet Xuxa, a program more focused on the musical world and which was very successful mainly for the “Intimacy” segment in which artists received somewhat intimate questions from Xuxa.

Birth of daughter, Sasha

The birth of Xuxa's daughter with Luciano Szafir, Sasha Meneghel Szafir, on July 28, 1998, was one of the most exciting moments in the presenter's life. Sasha was born at the Perinatal Maternity Hospital in Barra da Tijuca, in Rio de Janeiro, weighing 3,505 kg and measuring 52 cm.

Xuxa has always been very discreet about her personal life, and Sasha's pregnancy was kept a secret until the birth. However, after giving birth to her daughter, the presenter did not hesitate to share her happiness with her fans, and gave exclusive interviews and photos to various magazines and television programs.

Since then, Sasha has become one of the most famous children in Brazil, and grew up under the watchful eyes of the media and Xuxa fans, in addition to being the target of some curious rumors such as the fact that she was born without an anus — information denied by the press. celebrity this year!

Xuxa Park fire, almost retirement and Xuxa Só para Baixinhos 1 and 2

On January 11, 2001, during the recording of Xuxa Park, a fire would mark the presenter's career, injuring 26 people out of the 300 present in the studio, who left with first, second and third degree burns. The presenter was singing and dancing normally without realizing what was happening; after the arrival of the firefighters, she would be in shock – and asked Globo to cancel the program, even considering retirement. 

However, in 2001 it would release the first two volumes Xuxa Only for Little Ones 1 and 2, which became critical and public success. It is noteworthy that the second volume would even win the Latin Grammy for Best Children's Album.

Low ratings and end of contract with Globo

From 2002 to 2007, Globo and the presenter would try to promote several new children's formats on weekday mornings, such as Xuxa in the World of Imagination and Xuxa TV, but the reality is that the attractions would not achieve the results expected by the broadcaster and would result in the replacement by TV Globinho.

It was also during this time that the queen of the little ones would receive one of her best known parodies, with a blonde presenter who used a lot of sensuality being shown on Brazilian TV during the episode of The Simpsons when the family visits the country. The chapter would generate a lot of controversy in the national territory, not only for the portrayal of the presenter, but also for Rio de Janeiro as a whole – the then president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, even commented on his dissatisfaction with the episode at the time. 

During the next eight years, the presenter would not be so successful in Brazil, but TV Globo Internacional would continue to use her in its programming through the World of Xuxa, a program that showed moments from the star's career and also clips of Xuxa only for Baixinhos.

TV Xuxa, on the other hand, would continue to be shown on national TV Globo, on Saturday afternoons, replacing the Saturday Session, and would come to an end in 2014 due to health problems of the Rainha dos Baixinhos. A year later, Xuxa would leave Globo and go to Record, starting a new phase of her career.

The "adult" phase of Xuxa

The hiring of the presenter in 2015 was one of the biggest in the history of Record, along with that of Augusto Liberato, Gugu. In August of the same year, she would star in her first program on the network, Xuxa Meneghel, inspired by the format of the popular The Ellen DeGeneres Show, aired every Monday. The program featured interviews with celebrities, activities, musical attractions and various reports. It was on the air until December 2016.

In 2017, she began hosting the Dancing Brazil on Record, a dance competition with celebrities, and in 2019 the presenter commanded The Four Brazil, another musical competition, but this time with anonymous people, and the Xuxa Generation to talk show children displayed directly on the streaming platform PlayPlus.

In 2020, the presenter's contract with Record expired, and both parties agreed on non-renewal. A year later, Xuxa would close a partnership with streaming balloon play for the production of a documentary about her career, and, in 2023, she was confirmed as presenter and judge of the reality show caravan of drags, from Prime Video – a kind of Brazilian version of Rupal's Drag Race.

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Sources: bra mailzilliense, Claudia, Wikipedia, Memglobe ories, Multiverse News, Bahia News, R7

Text proofread by: Pedro Bomfim (27 / 03 / 23)