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MASS MARKETING THE MESSAGES HE NARRATIVE OF Xuxa's stardom is marked by a deep commitment to consumerism. The star's carefully cultivated image , which draws mass audiences with its embodiment of discordant views and its reassuring stance against change, also generates a loyalty that is readily channeled toward messages of consumption . The array of products Xuxa endorses offers the public a variety of ways to express their allegiance to her and the values for which she stands. With enough money, a child can eat Xuxa food, wear Xuxa clothes, bathe with Xuxa soap, play Xuxa games, records, and videos, read Xuxa comics, and go to sleep between Xuxa sheets. Such items are the substance of the dream the star projects. Through them, the euphoria she generates on the "Xou" materializes as ownership and a sense of belonging. The star has called the "adoration" her fans express a "sickness." I Usually, however, Xuxa celebrates the extremes ofloyalty she inspires. A constant refrain in Xuxa's media coverage describes her pleasure at learning 96 Mass Marketing the Messages 97 that children speak her name before saying "mommy" or "daddy." The central image of a song from her sixth record album is that of a child virtually raised by the television personality and fiercely devoted to her.2 In a lornai do Brasil interview with Regina Rito, Xuxa describes children's attachment to television programs as inevitable and their attachment to television personalities as an arbitrary function of time and place: Rita: Children today seem not to like outdoor games very much. They're giving up soccer, marbles and other group activities for a private relationship with you. Don't you think you might be creating a generation of vidiots? Xuxa: No. After all, television existed long before I was born. Rita: How do you react to the fact that every morning, all over the country, from north to south, thousands of children don't want to go to school because they prefer you, their electronic babysitter? Xuxa: IfI weren't in that time slot the children would watch whoever was.3 The topic Xuxa avoids by portraying herself as a passive , coincidental product of the times is the deliberate and carefully planned exploitation of circumstance. This strategy is consistent with the philosophy of the Globo network, where characteristically "the profit-making aim is concealed" and instead "television is presented as a community service" and the network as a "cultural institution ."4 The public's strong feelings of allegiance to Xuxa are cultivated in calculated fashion, and they translate into a marketing bonanza that is neither casual nor incidental. As early as 1988, the word "empire" was introduced by the media to refer to the shape and size of Xuxa's 98 CHAPTER THREE interests in Brazil, which soon expanded throughout the Americas. Like another commemoration of conquest or invasion, Xuxa's team celebrated the first year of the Spanish-language "Xou" in 1992.5 A variety of enterprises operating under the umbrella Xuxa Artistic Promotions and Productions company run the expanding empire. Xuxa is said to be the sole owner of 99 percent of the business, which does its banking in the Cayman Islands.6 Xuxa Tourism sells the travel packages that include group tours for children to Florida's Disney World. Xuxa Records markets releases independently of Globo's Som Livre labeP 0 Bicho Comeu is in charge of the clothing boutiques, and Xuxa International takes care of business outside Brazil. A major source of income is the licensing of products under Xuxa's name. Submissions flood in, and from those accepted, Xuxa earns a portion ofthe profit from sales that, according to one report, averages 12 percent. As of early 1991, by one account, fifty products from thirty different companies were licensed to market products under Xuxa's name.8 New projects are constantly announced to the media. In 1990, a Rio shopping center devoted exclusively to selling Xuxa merchandise was said to be in the works. The site was to be called a "Xopping," and it was predicted that several million dollars would be spent to adapt the three-story building "to meet the needs ofthe kiddie consumer." The "Xopping" would resemble a DisneyWorld-style amusement park.9 Plans to build a "giant Xuxa theme park" in Brazil were reported in the United States in November 1992.10 A segment about Xuxa on the television show "Entertainment Tonight" showed the star with a model of the theme park...

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