'Sesame Street' actress will leave the show after more than 40 years
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
Actress Sonia Manzano, known to generations of children as 鈥淪esame Street鈥� personality Maria, is reportedly retiring.聽
According to the , Manzano is leaving the show and will not appear on the upcoming season of the long-running children鈥檚 program.聽
She appeared on 鈥淪esame鈥� for 44 years, beginning in 1971, and also served as a writer on the show. According to her official , Manzano also wrote for the children鈥檚 show 鈥淟ittle Bill,鈥� which aired on the children鈥檚 TV block Nick Jr. on Nickelodeon.
Manzano, whose parents are from Puerto Rico, recalled in an interview with how she felt how she wasn鈥檛 represented on TV prior to acting on 鈥淪esame.鈥�
鈥淚'm Puerto Rican, born in New York, watched a lot of television in the fifties, never saw anybody who looked like me on television,鈥� she said. 鈥淚f you're not reflected in society, you feel invisible. And I wondered, how was I going to contribute to a society that didn't see me?鈥� 鈥淪esame鈥� was heralded for its diverse cast, which included Manzano鈥檚 onscreen husband, portrayed by Emilio Delgado, and actors Loretta Long and Matt Robinson.
鈥淪esame Street,鈥� which debuted in 1969 and airs on PBS, has become a TV classic and its Muppet characters, including Big Bird, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, and Elmo, who has gotten his own spin-off programs, have become icons recognized worldwide.
As noted by the , the program was originally targeted at underprivileged kids so they could be on an even keel with their peers when they reached kindergarten. The show has since been on TV in more than 120 countries and is still producing new episodes every year. A recent by Melissa Kearney of the University of Maryland and Wellesley College鈥檚 Phillip Levine discovered that watching the show can have as much value for children in some ways as attending preschool.聽
In addition, for a show that鈥檚 been on the air since 1969, the program is far from behind the times. Parents have been no doubt delighted to see such recent parodies on 鈥淪esame鈥� as skits poking fun at 鈥淗ouse of Cards,鈥� 鈥淟aw & Order: SVU,鈥� and 鈥淕ame of Thrones.鈥�
