Rosita Sesame Street
By Suzanne Borowiak

Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird are all familiar friends found on Sesame Street. But have you met the warm-hearted, bilingual monster, Rosita?

Rosita is a Hispanic Sesame Street character who speaks English and Spanish – often mixing words from both languages while speaking excitedly with her hands. She is friendly, fun-loving, and playful. She came from Mexico, and enjoys playing the guitar and singing.

Sesame Street first introduced viewers to Rosita in the early 1990s during a series of shows that gave preschoolers a peek at what was around the corner from the infamous street. She joined real-life Hispanic characters Maria and Luis Rodriguez who have been on the show since its early days in the 1970s. They own the Fix It Shop on Sesame Street. Their daughter, Gabi, is another Hispanic character on the program which is watched by about eight million viewers each week.

Muppet creators originally designed Rosita to look like a fruit bat, and she was named 'La Monstrua de las Cuevas' or 'The Monster of the Caves.' But years later, the turquoise-colored monster with a yellow bow in her hair lost her wings due to design changes.

Young viewers may best know Rosita as a featured Hispanic character on the segment, 'Spanish Word of the Day' which introduces children to a Spanish word and its English counterpart in a simple, easy-to-understand way. For example, she might say words like "baila" (dance), "canta" sing, or "abrazo" (hug) – all things Rosita likes to do. Children have more opportunities to learn Spanish with Rosita on sesamestreet.org, which features interactive playlists, videos, and more.

Always bright and cheerful, Rosita keeps tots on their toes by singing and dancing with her friends on Sesame Street in addition to performing with celebrity guest stars. On one show, she appeared in a duet with Hispanic singer, Gloria Estefan. They sang the familiar tune 'Sing' in both Spanish and English. Check out a video
of their performance on sesamestreet.org. Rosita also sang and danced along with other Muppets during an upbeat performance featuring Latin Jazz and Salsa musician Tito Puente. At one time, Rosita joined Elmo, Grover, and Zoe as the band, 'The Cute and Fuzzy Four.'

La Familia, or family, is very important to the affectionate Rosita. Viewers had the chance to meet Rosita's abuela or grandmother during a 2005 episode in which Rosita is sad because she misses her abuela who lives in Mexico. To cheer her up, Rosita's friends on Sesame Street surprise her with a fiesta and her abuela
unexpectedly arrives to join in the fun.Rosita's father and mother were introduced in a 2007 video as part of Sesame Street's Talk, Listen, and Connect series.

Besides watching Rosita on Sesame Street, preschool fans and their parents or caregivers can explore with the fun-loving monster on the PBS kids website, pbskids.org. At the site, children can click on Rosita, and enjoy playing games such as "Rosita's Fiesta," printing bookmarks or coloring pages, sending e-cards, or trying other activities.

Sesame Street fans can find more fun with Rosita in many other places as well. A long list of Sesame Street DVD's or books include or feature Rosita. She joins Elmo and other characters on DVD titles such as 'Elmo Loves You, Quite Time, and Sesame Sings Karaoke.' just to name a few. Some book titles featuring Rosita include 'Rosita's Block Party, Rosita's New Friend, and Rosita and the Beanstalk.'

For children who can't get enough of their fuzzy friend on TV or in videos, they can sing, dance, and learn along with Rosita, Elmo, and other favorite characters in Sesame Street Live! shows that tour around the country.