Villa Alegre (TV Series)

Villa Alegre (TV Series)

Villa Alegre (, Happy Village), a children's television show, was the first national bilingual (Spanish/English) program in the United States. It was produced by Bilingual Children's Television as its inaugural project on the company's founding in 1970. Villa Alegre debuted on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television in 1973 and ran there until funding disputes ended the project in 1980. During its run, the show won a Peabody Award along with many other honors. The show was also seen in syndication on commercial stations in some markets, on at least a weekly basis.

Much like another bilingual children's show of the era, Carrascolendas (produced at KLRN in Austin, Texas), Villa Alegre centered on life in a Mexican/Latin American village. The program had an upbeat, catchy salsa-flavored theme song, which ended with adults and kids shouting "¡Villa Alegre!" The series was similar in format to Sesame Street (after which it was often aired) in that it featured various educational subjects (such as mathematics and science), in addition to Hispanic culture.