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Actor-writer Sonia Manzano grew up on 'Sesame Street'

Associated Press file photo

Executive producer Carol-Lynn Parente, left, Sonia Manzano and Big Bird accept the Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award at the Daytime Emmy Awards on Aug. 30 in Los Angeles.

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By WALT BELCHER | The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 9, 2009

TAMPA - When Sonia Manzano joined "Sesame Street" in 1973 she thought it might last another three years.

"It had already been on three years and it was being parodied on 'Saturday Night Live' and the Muppets had been on Johnny Carson so I thought it had peaked," says Manzano, who plays Maria on the PBS children's show.

Maria was a teenager who was added to the cast to give it more ethnic diversity.

"There were very few Latinos on television then, especially in children's programming," says Manzano, 59, who has spent most of her acting career on the show.

"Maria grew up, got married and had children just like I did," she said in a telephone interview.

All eyes are on "Sesame Street," an institution that is sometimes taken for granted, as it kicks off its 40th anniversary season Tuesday on PBS (check listings for WEDU, Channel 3, and WUSF, Channel 16).

First lady Michelle Obama and Broadway star Lin-Manuel Miranda drop by, and there's a new format featuring faster-paced segments and 3-D animated segments.

The series holds a record 122 Emmy Awards, not including a lifetime-achievement trophy, and is seen in more than 120 countries and territories around the globe.

Manzano has won 15 Emmy Awards as part of the "Sesame Street" writing staff and was nominated twice for Outstanding Performer in a Children's Series.

These days there is less of Maria and more of the show's Muppet and cartoon characters as the audience has become younger over the years.

"We always were for pre-school children but the humor appealed to adults and young people and college kids," she says. "But this was before there was so much competition. In the 1970s, we were the biggest kids show on television."

Manzano has done other things during her long run on "Sesame Street," including acting in off-Broadway plays and writing for other children's series. Her children's book, "No Dogs Allowed," has been performed as a stage play.

She says "Sesame Street" has survived because it constantly changes to reflect the tastes of its audience.

"Mr. Rogers was wonderful but he never changed his format and you've got to change to keep up with the audience," she says.

"We change how it is presented, but it's still the same basic, still the same education – the alphabet, counting and numerals, and other cognitive skills as well as social skills.

"We also do special projects, too, such as reaching out with video specials such as helping children cope after the 9/11 terrorist attacks and addressing the needs of children in military families," she adds.

A lot of people are helping "Sesame Street" celebrate its 40th anniversary: Google has been featuring Muppet characters on its home page; Big Bird was a guest on Jimmy Kimmel's late-night show; and this week Muppet characters are on the syndicated game show "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?"

Manzano, Muppets and other cast and crew from "Sesame Street" are taking part in a celebration Saturday at the Smithsonian Institute.

And a new book about the show, "Sesame Street: A Celebration – 40 Years of Life on the Street" by Louise A. Gikow, has been published (Black Dog & Leventhal, $40).

"I think we've done a good job in 40 years of meeting children's needs and I think 'Sesame Street' could go another 40," Manzano says.

Reporter Walt Belcher can be reached at (813) 259-7654.

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