I didn't go looking for the Maya & Miguel twins. Nope. They found me, and for almost a year now, they've been with me every morning. Actually, they keep my son company just minutes after he wakes up, and me too by extension. But we're not the only ones.

            Since the television series (created by PBS KIDS GO! and Scholastic Entertainment) began airing in 2004, the animated Maya and Miguel characters have been piped to every corner of the United States and thirty some countries. It is, without a doubt, one of the best products exported from this country.

            Not only am I a Maya & Miguel fan, but thanks to TiVo (a marvelous digital recording system) and the persistence of my seven-year old son, I've seen all the episodes of the first season many times over and I'm sure to repeat that feat with the new season about to air these days. When I hear my son's roaring laughter at the crazy plans of an emboldened Maya or I watch him be quiet and pensive over the unexpected reactions of the shy Miguel, and the right-on-the-money advice of Grandma Elena, I realize just how much the animated series is hitting home. In these days of gratuitous TV violence and shallowness, you can't sing these praises about too many programs.

            Maya & Miguel highlights three things: the importance of family, of our Latin-American culture, and of being bilingual. Yet it's done in such an entertaining fashion, without moralizing speeches or overplaying the Hispanic pride. I like that realism very much, like the way the 10-year old twins talk; most of the time they speak English but sprinkle it with Spanish words. That's right, they speak just like our young second and third generation Latinos. (The other day I overheard Miguel call Paco “périco”, wrongly placing the accent on the first syllable…but that's the Spanish and "Spanglish" spoken in this country. Sorry.)

            A large reason behind the success of the Maya & Miguel television series (directed by Tony Cluck and written by Silvia Cardenas and Jon M. Gibson) is how well made and thought out it truly is. Most stereotypes are avoided, but above all the plots are always interesting and funny. The fact that some of the characters are voiced by very recognized actors definitely helps: Lupe Ontiveros is the voice of Grandma Elena, Erik Estrada becomes Señor Felipe, Elizabeth Peña is Rosa Santos, the Mexican Mom, and Carlos Ponce voices the Puerto Rican dad, Santiago Santos.

            In a way, Maya and Miguel are already the future of the United States. The majority of babies born in California today are Latinos. And now, in a very interesting demographic twist, 56 percent of new Hispanics are US-born, not incoming immigrants. The Santos family would fit quite nicely in cities like Miami or Los Angeles where Latinos are no longer the minority and the most talked about television shows are in Spanish. Someone like Maya or Miguel could be a Supreme Court justice or even the President of the United States relatively soon.

It was about time that Hispanic kids had an animated cartoon series that would make them laugh and educate them all at once. In spite of working in television, I try to limit the amount of time my kids spend in front of the TV or computer screens. I believe there are better ways to spend their time. One must have, I admit, a good plan of action (specially on weekends) to keep them from getting bored and help maintain the emotional connection to the family. But when Maya & Miguel pops on TV, I relax my rules and shut up.

            I've thought long and hard about why my son enjoys this program so much. Neither Plaza Sésamo (Spanish version of Sesame Street) nor the Teletubbies when he was younger had the same effect on him. I think it's partly because he can relate to the protagonists. He sees himself similar to Maya and Miguel: their parents speak Spanish, he feels more comfortable in English, and he has two large extended families in Mexico (where I'm from) and Puerto Rico (where his mom was born). 

            The worst thing about the US is the racism and a kind of attitude, bordering on arrogance, when it imposes its will on the rest of the world; meaning the war on Irak, the refusal to uphold the International Court or to sign the environmental protection accord known as the Kyoto Protocol. On the other hand, the best part of this country is its cultural diversity, its tolerance, its free and democratic spirit, and the way it embraces everything new. Maya & Miguel promotes those values precisely, the values of a society where those who are different are accepted, because in one way or another, we all come from somewhere else.

            Maya & Miguel is watched in 35 countries and they have already become two of the best ambassadors of the United States. With the battered image of the United States around the world, it may not be a bad idea for the undersecretary of state Karen Hughes, (responsible for public diplomacy for the Bush administration), to pack her suitcase full of tapes of these two tiny characters to give out to friends and foes alike.

Maya and Miguel are friendly, tolerant, fun, understanding, bold, adventurous and they represent the future of the United States. “Superfabuloso”, as Maya says. And if you don't believe me, ask my son or turn on the TV and see for yourself.