Adriana de Castro hosted “Caritele” in the 90s. The program was a success. (Photo: Screenshot)
TV Azteca's launch as a television network occurred in 1993 and among the first original content to appeal to audiences was Caritele, the children's weekend morning bar show hosted by Adriana de Castro, which more than rivaled Televisa.
The success was so great right from the start that it was no longer broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays, but rather throughout the week. The connection to the children and youth audience had a lot to do with it the charisma of its host, the character Carisaurio, the access to the public in the forum, the Nintendomanía capsules and the anime-style animated programs.
The children of the 90s, who had no connection with Chabelo or with the cartoons that Televisa was broadcasting at the time, like Heidi and Mazinger Z, which came from the 70s, They turned to TV Azteca's proposal with options such as: Sailor Moon And Knights of the Zodiacthe most visually current animated series.
Added to this was the good reception he received. Carisaur, a simple but touching bottarga of a green dinosaur that evoked sympathy for the shirts and T-shirts he wore. The synergy with Adriana del Castro was beneficial for the entertainment as it made the audience happy, especially those who attended the live program as guests.
However, since this is a program consolidated in 1998, Caritele He suddenly disappeared. For the children who grew up with this content, it was a huge blow because there were no explanations and they no longer saw their favorite presenter.
Months later, in 1999, the morning show Con Sello de Mujer was launched with Tere Bermea, Marta de la Lama, Lorena Tassinari and Adriana de Castro as hosts.
Seeing Adriana in that room got a lot of attention because they completely changed her image. A girl with long hair, a ponytail and outfits that matched her youth became a woman with short blonde hair and elegant clothes. They aged her in a very short time.
Continue reading the story
The presenter later stopped appearing on the Azteca show, among other things because she was devoting herself to her family. However, one doubt remained in the air: what happened to Caritele? Countless rumors arose. For example, it was said that evangelical groups had called for a ban on the broadcast of cartoons that provoke Satanism. The myth also arose that Adriana rejected a company manager and in return her program was withdrawn.
The truth was learned almost 20 years later when a former fan met the presenter at an anime and video game convention and asked her what happened. Adriana de Castro revealed that the official version she can give is that she got married. “I was taken off the air on the day of my wedding, which was February 21, 1998, and I found out about it when I was on my honeymoon the next day.”
The company wasn't happy that its children's bar star had gotten married and decided it was best to eliminate Caritele. To take advantage of the fact that they had the host on their talent crew, TV Azteca channeled it With women's seal. This transition involved a change in her identity so that she was no longer perceived as a youthful figure and was valued by a target group of women over 35 years old.
To this day, every time she is asked, Adriana opens up and says that she would like to see content produced the way she did with Carisaurio in the '90s. In his opinion, children need such cues for their entertainment.
