Welcome to Maria Week – Celebrating over 40 years of Sonia Manzano’s work on Sesame Street! We’re dedicating an entire week to her performance as Maria and the legacy she’s leaving with the recent announcement of her retirement from the show.
We love Maria. Some of us, perhaps, are in love with Maria. She stood as the most romantically appealing female cast member for decades, and even near the end of her Sesame tenure, she was cool, smart, and attractive. I mean, who wouldn’t fall in love with her?
It’s of little surprise that Maria has had her share of boyfriends, loves, and crushes throughout the years, which is pretty rare for a preschool series with very little actual continuity. We mostly know her as the faithful wife to Luis, but that’s only the tip of the iceberg. Maria has many a suitor.
Let’s take a longer, slightly inappropriate look at the love life of a children’s television character!
Maria & David
For the first few years, Maria was romantically involved with David. The pair seemed perfect for each other, as they were both the cool, young kids on the Street. However, as many of us have experienced, first loves rarely last. The couple broke up, and they were forced to keep on hanging out and living in the same neighborhood as their ex. Awkward.
Maria & Luis
This is the relationship that needs no introduction. We’ve been ringside for Maria and Luis’s courtship, wedding, baby-making (sorry, I meant baby-having), business partnerships, and golden years. Maria and Luis are the original OTP, and what we all strive for in our domestic lives.
Maria & Placido Flamingo
After Maria and Luis fell in love, but before they got married, Maria had a brief fling with noted opera singer Placido Flamingo. Okay, maybe “fling” is too strong a word. They flirted with each other. Yeah, that’s not right either. Placido pretty much obsessed over her. He even pulled a “Say Anything” from outside her window, much to the dismay of Maria’s sleeping neighbors. To his credit, Luis seemed pretty cool and not at all jealous about the situation.
Maria & Stinky the Stinkweed
Almost exactly 10 years later (Placido fell in love with Maria on February 5, 1988; Stinky had his turn on February 6, 1998), Stinky the Stinkweed discovered his true feelings for Maria. But unlike Placido, he only just discovered the meaning of “love” about five minutes earlier. In both cases, love immediately turned into wedding proposals. Love on Sesame Street escalates quickly! Funny, Luis never got this kind of attention. I guess we know who’s the lucky one in their relationship!
Maria & Oscar
Before Luis, before David, and before all the now-forgotten Muppets, there was one man who held the key to Maria’s heart. And that man is a Grouch. Since Maria’s debut, she always had a strong bond with Oscar, which many of us perceived as innocent flirting. Between Oscar’s nickname for Maria (“Skinny”), that time they went on a road trip together in Follow That Bird, and all those times she felt compelled to hang around his trash can. Need more proof? How about that time Oscar wrote a love poem for Maria? Or when he got jealous hearing Maria talk about what she loves? Or how upset he was on Maria’s wedding day? I don’t know about you, but I am a Maria/Oscar shipper, and I have been since day one. Those two mismatched lovebirds were meant to be together.
Click here to get down on one knee and propose to the ToughPigs forum!
by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
