Abelardo is a green, full-bodied Muppet parrot who appears on Plaza Sésamo, the Mexican co-production of Sesame Street. He joined the cast in 1981 and soon became the show’s most recognizable figure. Abelardo also guest starred on the American Sesame Street on May 5, 1997 as part of the Cinco de Mayo celebration. On the Mexican show, he occasionally keeps contact with his cousin Big Bird via letters and video-chatting.
His character was originally a a tall orange-and-yellow scaled dragon which had a soft, gentle voice and a very particular way of talking, making pauses after every sentence. His favorite treat were pumpkin seeds or ‘semillas de calabaza’ which in Mexico are a very popular snack, also known as ‘Pepitas.’ In later seasons Abelardo the Dragon was replaced by Serapio Montoya, a large parrot-like character with a strong resemblance to Big Bird, of whom he is a cousin. However, children and others continued to refer to Serapio as ‘Abelardo’ and therefore his name was later changed to Abelardo Montoya. The reason the dragon character was dismissed when the series was re-launched in 1982, remains unexplained.
The Daily Omnivore 
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